


Cause and Contract

by Falke



Series: Finding Our Way [5]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Action, Angst, F/M, Minor Original Character(s), Original Character(s), Police Procedural, Romance, Spoilers, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-04
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2018-11-23 03:06:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 26
Words: 86,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11394081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Falke/pseuds/Falke
Summary: A crisis in Tundratown is more than it appears, and Nick and Judy are right in the thick of it.This is a story about responsibility and mentorship and revenge, and the balance between what is necessary and what is appropriate. As they race to put things right, everyone from the greenest of rookie cops to titans of industry will learn that just because you can do something doesn't always mean you should - because if you're not careful, you'll do even more damage than the ones you're chasing.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story adheres to my [chronology](https://falke-scribblings.tumblr.com/chronology) as part 5 of [Finding our way](https://archiveofourown.org/series/476992). It takes place some time after the events of [The Measure of Trust](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7908136/chapters/18066316). I recommend reading it and the other major stories in the chronology first for full effect.

It was still dark when two phones went off at once - one to buzz its way across the wooden tabletop, and the other with an obnoxious cheery default ringtone that drew a groan from underneath Judy Hopps.

"Are you serious, Carrots?"

"About which part?" She pushed herself far enough up reach for the phones on the bedside table. It took some doing - Nick's bed was much larger than hers. She squinted at her screen. "I didn't set my alarm that early. That's the emergency muster."

Nick Wilde had his eyes open just far enough to check his watch. "It's four in the morning," he said. "This had better be good."

"All-staff rally call," she read, and looked out Nick's windows at the still-dark cityscape outside, toward precinct headquarters.

"You have the worst alarm rings." He hadn't moved, except to put his paws back on her hips.

"It worked, didn't it?" Judy turned her phone so the glow lit up his face. He squeezed his eyes shut, and she dropped a kiss on top of his muzzle.

"Is anyone hurt?"

"Don't think so. We'd get a label if ZMS was involved."

"Got your uniform?"

"Of course. It's in your closet."

"Mm." Nick pulled her back down into the warm pile of white sheets and red fox. "Ninety more seconds."

\---

Early mornings were special in Savanna Central. The city never slept - almost half its mammals were up and about in the night - but Judy had quickly fallen in love with the sleepy, soft character of streetlights and quiet plazas.

Now she paused, just through the revolving door of Precinct One. There were dozens of unfamiliar mammals in the lobby, nocturnal and diurnal types alike, standing in tense groups or following ZPD officers around.

Next to her, Nick didn't break stride, but he was looking around, too.

"This isn't for the community outreach meetings," he said. "Not at 4:30."

"Those are in the evenings."

Nick looked to be counting. "Suits, less-tailored suits and jumpsuits with hard hats. Construction accident?"

"That's when they work on the roads."

Judy saw members of the media hovering on the fringes, too. She recognized some of them from her own fateful conference way back when - and while it had been more than a year since the nighthowler incident, the sense that they could smell a story was as plain as ever. She looked away from the cameras.

They passed Clawhauser's desk, where he was busy with at least three different conversations at once, and mustered in the ready room. Here, too, it felt tense. Focused. Judy drew a couple doses of coffee from the percolator at the door, into giant styrofoam cups. They were out of small-scale ones again.

Nick made room for her on their shared chair at the front. "McHorn. What gives?"

"You read the overnight report yet?" he rumbled. "The wall at Tundratown was on fire an hour ago."

They shared a glance. The climate wall was probably the city's most important infrastructure. It kept two of the major districts habitable for their occupants - so when something went wrong, it was important enough to pull police and other emergency personnel out of their beds early. "How bad?"

"Just a section." McHorn shrugged his enormous shoulders. "But if you believe the chatter out of Precinct Three, it could have been intentional."

That would explain the mass of officials outside. They would be reps from city hall, then, and the utility companies. And ZPD was likely to get busy tracking down the culprits.

Captain Fangmire stepped into the bullpen, his attention still on a conversation outside the doors. Judy could hear Bogo's gruff baritone, and didn't envy him his job right then. Fangmire nodded, snapped the door shut, and crossed to the lectern at the front. Everyone shut up almost immediately this time.

"I'll keep this quick, because we all have a lot to do," the tiger said. "ZPD is investigating an incident just after two this morning at the climate wall as arson. Those of you who start your days on beat are all retasked to track down leads, because Precinct Three could use the help right now. Second shift will be running double duty to cover for us here."

There were murmurings at that, mostly of relief, and Judy agreed with them. Double patrol shifts downtown would be tedious, compared to whatever they'd be getting up to in Tundratown.

"The energy company says they can't shut anything all the way down, otherwise foundations are going to start melting," Fangmire said. "So we need to work fast to make sure mammals aren't at risk from more fires, and then get out of the workers' way."

"Is the area secure?" Del Gato raised a paw.

"We can only guess so," Fang said. "Whatever happened took place conveniently outside of any of our municipal cameras' view. IT is coordinating with the utilities companies to look for more angles. ZPD is on ground game in the meantime. Old-fashioned evidence sweeps and interviews. Kit up with cold weather gear, and keep an ear on the precinct band for major updates."

\---

Judy had to talk Nick out of stealing one of Clawhauser's donuts to share while he was distracted. They would have to make do with their coffee, which she'd taken care to refill before they left. They were headed to the cold part of town, and the sun still wasn't up.

"You good to drive?" She was managing gear and drinks in the passenger seat while Nick pulled their cruiser out of the pool.

"I'll be all right," Nick said. "Did you get our coats?"

"Right here." She watched to make sure he was awake and alert anyway, and pressed his coffee into his free paw the next time they hit a red light, just in case.

They'd all be running this way, at least at first. There wasn't a whole lot of good intel to go on, she saw as she read the early report on the cruiser's computer, but the point of the rally to Precinct Three's aid was to get as much information in as quickly as possible, preferably while the area was still cooling back down.

It certainly beat another day of paperwork and patrols, even though Judy knew she shouldn't think like that. Excitement for police officers wasn't always a good thing.

But at least they would be able to do some immediate good down there. The scene was nearly half a block wide, right up against the structure of the climate wall. Precinct Three had set up perimeters that didn't cut off too much traffic, and there were forensics teams onsite already.

The twilight roads were dusted with the night's snow. Public works never cleared anything but the major thoroughfares down here, not unless the precipitation doubled up with a natural storm that rolled through. Nick hit the wipers as whoever they were following kicked a cloud of slush up behind them.

"What's the early news?"

"There's tape up around a whole block right up on the wall, off Moraine Parkway. There are teams checking the rest of it, too, in case there are other locations we need to worry about." Judy tabbed down. "Standing orders are to either help them out, or join the sweep groups at the site and look for clues and witnesses."

"Got a preference?"

"Let's start at the wall."

They got lucky and found an open civil servant spot just two blocks away. Judy cracked the door and flinched against the swirl of cold flakes against her muzzle. Nick joined her and they huddled by the warmth from the engine.

"I'm glad we're not the ones hammering on doors right now, to be honest," he said. "Too early for that." He shrugged into his coat and clipped the body camera to its chest pocket. "Am I good?"

"Light's not on."

"Oh." Nick squeezed her shoulders and dipped his muzzle to tap the top of his snout against her nose, and then he stepped back. "How about now?"

"There it goes." Judy smiled and fiddled with her own recorder. The cameras had a ten-minute rolling buffer, but there was no point in taking chances.

She understood his desire to stick close. This was their first real case in months of quiet, steady policing. There was nothing wrong with that work - together, they made it fun and fulfilling and meaningful - but shutting down Baird's little drug ring had been more stressful than either of them wanted. Whatever this was, it was already bigger. Judy was glad for comrades right now.

The snow was cold against her paws, and good incentive to keep moving so it wouldn't soak her fur too much. They waited for a wolf on a snowmobile to rumble through and made for the cordon, and the wind got worse as they went. This had happened right up next to the blowers. Judy couldn't tell if the rattling in her teeth was from the chill, or the vibration that carried through the ground here.

Something had burned, all right. A big brown bear from Precinct Three with a forensics patch on her uniform held the tape for them so they could step into the pools of light from the portable spots, onto concrete the snow had melted off of. She raised her eyebrows.

"It's Hopps, isn't it?" She had to speak up over the wind. "We owe you all for coming out. Mind the glass."

"What was it?" Nick asked.

"Part of the wall," she said. "The coils down here keep the air cold. It's got the utilities types all riled up." She pointed south, past the chainlink fence that someone had sliced through and toward the wind fins and the bulk of the wall looming above them. "They're all up by the wall if you need to talk to them. We'd do it ourselves, but we already have snow blowing on our evidence here."

Judy could still recognize shiny piping, where the coils hadn't fused together from the heat of the fire. They'd originally stood under a set of overlapping louvers, to keep the snow from drifting over them. There were visible seams in the concrete base under her paws, which was a few hundred square feet, at least. This was a big installation, and relatively new.

"Smells like a gas fire." Nick was wrinkling his nose.

One of the nearby techs nodded. "That's what we got from it, too. It blew in toward the housing to the north. Nasty."

"You can still pick that up?" Judy asked. It would explain how the flames could have caught and held against the metal, and was a good indicator that whatever had happened was intentional. The awning was destroyed, too, but it wasn't much of a fuel source.

Nick nodded, and crouched to inspect the scorch marks on the concrete pad. "I wonder what these pipes carry?"

They fed into a protected runner which led back toward the wall itself, into the deeper drifts of snow past the forensics team. There were more covered coils back here, a bunch of smaller versions of the first one they'd seen, ranged in orderly ranks. They were all undamaged.

As crimes went, it seemed random and poorly thought-out. Judy would have expected theft before arson. The piping had to be pretty valuable. And the wall's chillers maintained habitat for a full quarter of the city's population. It was as critical as any water or power line, and the city obviously took it seriously: Half of ZPD was out here right now.

So motive probably had a statement attached. But their early reporting hadn't identified any mammals out here to begin with, much less any of interest. Precinct Three didn't have records of property crimes or even disturbances this close to the wall. It was all automated infrastructure, and most of it was monitored. Hopefully whoever had installed all that new hardware had cameras pointed at it, too.

"Don't suppose you saw any footprints," she said.

"Not on the way in," Nick called over the wind. "But if the forensics team was following procedure, they would have preserved some before they touched anything."

Judy pulled her coat tighter. It was early summer, technically. She hadn't been ready for cold.

They were approaching the wall itself, where a cluster of mammals in high-vis vests scurried in and out of the lights at a service entrance, clipboards and tablets and radios all close at paw.

There was a beaver in a white hard hat at the edge of the platform, rummaging in a box of equipment. Judy could hear his radio going, crackling reports and chatter even faster than the clear calls were coming in from other ZPD officers checking the wall for trouble.

"Sir, do you have a moment?"

"Hi." He pushed his hard hat up and offered a strained grin. "I don't, sorry. Verdegrand just got in, though. Maybe go find him." He flipped his tail. "Big elk. You shouldn't miss him."

And they didn't. As Judy and Nick edged toward the service door, keeping to one side to let the constant flow of workers go by unimpeded, an enormous bull elk ducked and twisted his head to step through it into the open air. He had a windbreaker instead of a work vest, but he had a radio in his hooves like just about all the rest of them. He finished his conversation and started toward them.

"Good morning, officers." His voice was so deep he didn't even have to raise it over the constant hum of the machinery.

"Are you Mr. Verdegrand?" Judy asked.

"Just Verdegrand. Claremont Energy Group. How can I help you?"

It was a good question. Judy pointed a paw back down toward ZPD's own splash of lights. "We're investigating whatever happened here this morning. Do you have time to spare any early insight?"

"We know about as much as you do right now," he said. "There was a fire at the new grid this morning, possibly set intentionally."

"Do you have any surveillance footage of the area?"

"Our incident staff just sent it to the police for review."

"Have you had any trouble here before?" Nick asked. "Any reason for mammals to go poking around?"

"Never like this," Verdegrand said. "We get some protests, but it's always very polite." He was following their gazes down the snowy rise. "Mammals mostly leave the immediate area alone."

Judy looked back around. "Mostly."

"It's part of why we're up here and not down there." He seemed to come to some decision. "But Ms. Claremont can explain that better than I can."

Judy didn't know the company was a namesake. "She's here?"

"Inside," Verdegrand said. "I expect she'll want to talk to you, actually. I can take you to meet her."

They'd be out of the cold, at least. Judy caught the affirmative tilt to Nick's ear and nodded. "Lead the way."


	2. Chapter 2

Judy never thought she'd ever see the inside of the climate wall. Lots of mammals talked about the project - it was one of Zootopia's great achievements, after all - but her job just took her near it, or, in certain fur-raising cases, through it. The machinery itself was one of those things that professionals dealt with. It was apparently hard work.

There was no disguising a service hallway, but this company did a good job of keeping it clean. The floors were some flat gray textured material, and the white walls were broken up with splashes of blue or green indicator paint where pipes ran through them. It was bright, after the early sun from outside, and chock-full of busy workers of all sizes.

Ahead of them, Verdegrand ducked his antlers to clear a low pipe and stopped beside a tiger and an antelope working in an open cabinet. The tiger was demonstrating some technique - she reached into the guts of the machine to gesture at something and her companion nodded.

"Good?" the tiger asked, and got another nod. "Two more. Nice work clearing this up."

"Ma'am," Verdegrand said. "Officers Hopps and Wilde have some questions about this morning."

"Ah." The tiger lowered her muzzle to look down at her. Judy could feel her interest shifting. "Judy Hopps herself." She stuck out a paw, then seemed to realize it was covered in grease and grime from whatever work she'd been doing. She swapped it for her left. "Rachel Claremont. Good to meet you both."

Judy shook automatically. She hadn't told Verdegrand her name.

"Wilde, is it?" Claremont shook his paw, too.

"Nick Wilde, yes."

"Can you two walk and talk? I will give you what time I can, but you'll have to follow me onto the wall."

"Sure."

"This way." The tiger turned and led them deeper into the hallway, past something that was billowing steam and into a large cage elevator. "You'll want those coats. It's windy up top, too."

The cage locked shut around the four of them and they started up. Judy turned her radio down a bit and watched lights flicker past, showing whole decks of busy mammals. Taller ones ducked to fit under close-packed pipes and fins. There were mice and ferrets in access ports, running cable with tiny custom-built harnesses.

"We lost a full outrigger unit, and some of the fail-safes didn't _fail_ the way they were designed to." Claremont was cleaning her paw with a rag, and watching Judy's reactions. "We pulled just about everyone out of bed for damage control. Much the way ZPD did, I expect."

"I thought most of it was automated," Judy said.

"It is. But we had to do some rerouting, to make sure the chillers stayed at capacity and balanced to the heaters on the other side." She shrugged. "And this way, your officers have time to finish their work."

Nick looked impressed. "Thanks."

"I want to know what happened just as much as you do. We're about to start expansions on this side of the wall, and whoever this is is fouling that up."

The elevator clacked to a halt. Outside the little access shelter, the wind whipped around. Judy saw a surreal two-tone landscape under the sunrise: the cold, dim light down the Tundratown side of the wall and the faint orange glow bouncing off the dunes in Sahara Square. There was a catwalk running down the center, vanishing into the distance. Verdegrand opened the door for them and the air rushed in to ruffle exposed fur.

They followed him out into the open, and the dichotomy got even stranger. The wind buffetted at them, but Judy could still feel the cool of the blowing snow against one ear, and the warmth of the sand against the other. Claremont's tail flipped at her reaction.

"Precise, isn't it?" She had to raise her voice to be heard while they buckled the safety belts around their coats and clipped in. "It took us years to get the balance right."

"You know these machines," Nick said, as she dropped to her knees to open another panel and sort through the labeled bunches of wires and hoses inside.

"I helped design them, before I had to take over boardroom duty."

Judy glanced up at the elk next to them. "Mr. Verdegrand said mammals usually leave the base of the wall alone. What's happened before?"

"Nothing permanent," Claremont said. "They used to build some things right out of the ice and snow, until we put a stop to it with the city about three years ago. Now it's just occasional demonstration related to expansion plans."

"It that's what happening now?"

"Not counting the fire damage because we don't know yet, yes," Claremont said. "We need more and colder air to counter climate shifts, and the energy and area needs scale. To build it out we need unimpeded access to the land we secured for it."

"So you're moving mammals?"

"Trying," Claremont said. "We have contracts with the city and with residents in the affected areas. Anyone who lives here signs relocation or compensation packages."

"But now they don't want to leave," Nick said.

"No," Claremont said. "Not all of them. But their agreements give us the leeway to push move dates one way or the other, depending on the wall's requirements. And now, with damage, we'll have to move faster."

"We can't be sure that sentiment is linked to whatever happened here," Verdegrand added. "Arson - if that's what it is - is unprecedented."

"How many mammals affected?" Judy asked.

"A few dozen right now," he said.

"It's going to be twice that, with evaporators damaged in section five."

Verdegrand nodded at his boss. "If we moved everyone who signed relocation agreements all at once, it would be about a thousand. It's why we're staggering the process."

"They've already had a year of advance warning," Claremont said. "Emails. Meetings. City audits."

"We don't want to jump too far at a specific motive this early," Nick said. "But any information we can get will help us narrow our eventual suspects down."

"You can probably disqualify locals," Claremont said. "The test evaporators were all built on easements into private property, to make sure temperatures stayed level that far from the main chillers." Something beeped. She snapped the panel shut and moved to the next one over, apparently for good measure. "When we arranged the new construction, everyone involved agreed to the terms and payment."

"How far do the easements extend?" Judy asked.

"Those, just past our quarter-mile perimeter. We could end up going further on either side of the phase-change line, should we ever need to adjust performance."

"Have you seen the surveillance footage yet?"

"Very little. I've been saving hardware all morning."

"Okay. Did you maybe fire anyone recently?"

"We haven't," Verdegrand said. "I've only ever had to escort two mammals out of the building."

So Nick was thinking it, too. This was some kind of message. "Sorry," Judy said. "What we're getting at is whether there's anyone angry at your company or what it's doing. Someone's probably going to have a reason to cut their way in and set fires. It's awfully risky for random crime."

"We've seen protests for years. Some worse than others, as the move-out date approached. But never violence." Claremont shook her head. "This company operates for the good of the city, now more than ever. Climate contracts to keep the biomes habitable. Waste management in the Rainforest plants. Next-generation energy. Nobody's going to get in the way of that so publicly."

It would bear more thorough investigation, of course, but for now there wasn't much to get from grilling the CEO up here in the wind. "We'll see what forensics turns up, then," Judy said.

"And the police will be reviewing your surveillance tapes," Nick added. "That will determine where we go next."

Claremont nodded and led the way back to the elevator. "We'll be doing the same."

"Thank you," Judy said. The sudden absence of rushing wind as they started back down the elevator left her ears ringing. "Someone from investigations will be in touch, too. They'll have proper questions for you."

"That's fine," the tiger said. "But I like working with everyone in an organization, too. If you can follow up tomorrow yourselves, I'll share what I can then. Thank you both."

\---

"Weird," Nick said.

They were crunching back down toward ZPD's cordons. The sun was far enough into the sky now that they'd broken down the lights.

Judy rubbed at her left ear briefly, to get the warmth back into it, and the ringing from the wind out. "Which part?"

"The head of the company is elbows-deep in the machinery the morning of the incident? First time I've ever heard of a CEO doing that. And she had time for the primer in industrial real estate law, too."

"Just because Bogo doesn't go out on patrol doesn't mean that sort of thing never happens." Judy shrugged at him. "She said she was in engineering before she switched jobs. She probably still knows her way around as well as any of them."

"Sounds squeaky-clean, too. You think she's downplaying some of it? If they've had protests there's got to be a reason."

"We can dig into the records if you want." Judy shrugged. "Do you have a feeling about it or something?"

"I don't like that she couldn't name any troublemakers at all, even with how many mammals live in the shadow here," Nick said. "Like you said, this is aiming high for random crime. But it's too early to say for sure."

The forensics team had finished its work just in time. Snow was already starting to blow back in over the remains of the evaporator. And as they packed up their scene kits, they were gaining an audience. On the other side of the street, opposite the cordon, there was a decent group of mammals on foot. And not pedestrians taking in the scene as they went by, either: Most of them seemed to be standing together in groups, murmuring amongst themselves, or just watching. Some of ZPD were around the edges, looking for statements - and they didn't seem to be getting very far.

Nick was beside her. "That's a lot of reindeer."

The bear from earlier nodded as she passed. "Got big herds of them up and down a few blocks, too. Nobody's interested in talking."

"What do they want?" Judy asked.

"Just to watch, I guess." The bear shrugged. "Going to get kind of boring. Guards sitting on a literal cold scene all day."

Judy watched one of the reindeer shake his head at the officer he was talking to and and caught something about _none of us know or care._ Nick gave her a significant look.

"We can come back, but I want to get what Claremont gave us on paper first. None of them look like they've had their coffee yet, anyway."

"That's right, there's coffee."

They skirted the herd and climbed back inside their car to warm up. Nick cranked the heat for her. Their drinks were a couple hours old by now, but they were still better than room temperature.

Judy pinged the evidence server while he scribbled, so they could look through what ZPD had so far. For a large-scale probable arson case, there was still precious little to go on. The fences had succumbed to bolt cutters. Mass spectrometry results on the fuel residues were pending. There were a couple clear split-hoof prints in the snow; for now the analysts had only drilled down to the order level. Ariodactyla, maybe one of the ruminants. And nobody was talking yet.

"Worse than Boots," Nick said when he glanced up at it.

"Worse than Otterton." _Leads, none. Witnesses, none._ At least that one had led her to Nick, once upon a time.

"I could get a message to Big." He was smiling at her expression. She'd told him the story.

"Let's do this by the book, first. We're just a couple hours in."

Nick scratched his neck. "There's got to be half of ZPD out here looking for mammals to talk to. I say we chase the cameras."

"But they haven't put the footage on the outside server yet." Judy eyed him. "You just want to go back in where it's warm."

Nick watched her, deadpan. "I'll drive if you clear it."

Judy sighed and unclipped the radio pawset. "You know the way to Precinct Three?"

\---

The biome headquarters was done up mostly in blue and white, with lots of glass that emulated the ice outside. It wasn't warm, exactly, but it was out of the wind.

The lobby was a large rectangle, instead of the oval of Precinct One. The light-duty dispatch desk at the front was off to one side. A lynx looked up from his screens as they approached.

"Morning, officers. How's it been?"

"Busy," Nick said.

"I'll bet." The cat seemed to recognize Judy, and Nick to a slightly lesser extent. He nodded. "They make the arson call yet?"

"We still need a suspect," Judy said. "We wondered if we could borrow a computer and look through some of the footage the utilities company sent over."

He consulted a clipboard. "You and everyone else. All the co-op terminals are taken. You can go see if records still has a screen free." He pointed them off behind his desk. "Third left down the hall there."

Judy had to override her muscle memory. At Precinct One, the rooms in the back on the first level were staff offices. Three had to jumble everything around and put the evidence and records departments there, instead.

Nick led them through the archive of close-stacked file cabinets that reached all the way to the ceiling. There was one terminal way in the back, scaled for large mammals, probably because the Tundratown force didn't have any smaller ones. Judy had to stand on the countertop and let Nick drive again.

"Someone's already marked the interesting spots." He scrubbed through low-framerate footage of blowing snow and the immobile evaporators, which were still intact this early in the playback. The pipe shed had the same stylized C on the side they'd seen on the Claremont workers' jackets.

It happened so quickly they almost missed it during the sped-up version. There was a flurry of motion, the flash of something hot and bright on the heat-sensitive camera sensor, and then the pipes were gouting thick smoke into the wind. Nick played it back again, at normal speed.

It was a reindeer, but that was about all the footage showed for sure. Whoever it was wore a long hood with antler relief, and a scarf or gaiter. As she and Nick watched, they cut their rhythmic way through the chainlink fence, ducked through the new gap and trotted around the bulky climate unit, shaking some sort of accelerant onto it from a gallon jug. They struck something, the structure caught and glared with hungry flames in the camera's view, and the intruder slipped back out through the breach and disappeared. Judy checked the timecode. Less than two minutes.

"Someone's a little too good at that," Nick muttered.

"Is there a shot of their face at all?" she asked.

"Eyes, maybe, and some snout." Nick saved a couple still images and emailed them to his work account. "Someplace to start, at least. I copied Fang; He'll know if we can use them for interviews."

\---

They got a printout of their screengrab and went to the west cordon. The sun being up didn't do much to warm Judy up, and now that it was lancing off the snow she had to squint to see, too. Nick, at least, was able to pull his glasses from the cruiser.

This street dead-ended in the shade of the wall, amid the snowdrifts and the now-familiar shapes of undamaged evaporators. A large crowd had gathered across from the police line. Judy could hear the rumble of conversation as they approached. There were several other police teams here, all from Precinct Three - and none of them making much progress with their photos.

"They're not cooperating," she said, as a wolf thrust his own pictures down at a marmot. "But he's not exactly polishing his interview manner, either."

"Let's try them," Judy said, and pointed out two women on the edge of the group, their heads together as they looked at something on a phone. Judy watched two wide pairs of reindeer antlers rotate toward her as they approached.

"Good morning, Ma'am."

The woman looked between them. "You're not from around here, are you?"

"We're from Precinct One," Nick said. "Do you know what happened here this morning?"

"There was a fire," the other deer said. She had a thin red decoration wrapped around the base of one of her antlers.

Judy nodded. "And a trespassing incident. We're here trying to identify suspects. Are you willing to look at an image for us?"

"I thought the wall company had their own security." The first reindeer frowned at her friend. "Why aren't they dealing with this?"

Judy twitched an ear. They couldn't say arson yet. Not until official charges came down.

"We all pay taxes on it, right?" Nick asked. "The whole city has an interest in keeping it running."

The women looked doubtful, but they leaned over to peer at the image Judy held up for them.

"Doesn't look familiar to me," Red said immediately.

The other reindeer shrugged, too. "Sorry."

Worth a shot. Judy folded the picture back up.

"Thanks for your time, ladies," Nick said. "If you have any information you think might be useful, you can call the public tips line, or find an officer."

Red was already raising her phone again. "We will."

Judy rather doubted that.

They left the bystanders alone and started up the slope at the end of the street. Nick waited until they were well outside hearing distance.

"Ouch."

"Not even you were that obnoxious when I met you," Judy grumbled. "I was right, it's like Otterton all over again."

"Shame you can't get the tax records for those two." Nick looked thoughtful. "They might have had a point about Claremont, though. Have you seen anything resembling a security mammal since we got here?"

"Verdegrand, maybe."

"If Claremont has had protests, you'd think they'd be trying to buffer that with more than chainlink and cameras."

"It's worth asking about."

So they tracked down some Claremont Energy workers further up toward the wall, an otter and a polecat who were checking the rest of the fences in the area for damage. Even six hours on from the start of this call, they looked incredibly busy. But they were willing to talk through the fence as they worked.

"We have security teams that patrol everything CEG runs," the otter said. "The wall, the boilers down in rainforest, the test plants out east."

"We haven't seen anyone yet," Nick said.

"They probably all got sent to check everything else. If the police are here, they have a chance to cover more ground."

"Has the company changed its security because of past protests?"

"You mean is there more now?" The polecat asked. He pulled his hood up over his hard hat. "Probably. That's above our pay grade, though. You'd have to talk to the boss."

"Can you talk about those incidents at all?" Judy asked. "How bad did things get?"

"Nothing burned, if that's what you're asking," he said. "Are they still down there gaining steam? The chants will probably start soon."

Judy glanced at Nick. "Chants, huh?"

"Yeah, like _we're still here_ and _talk before you dig_. I'm glad we're not the ones cleaning up the burn sites. It gets annoying, listening to that when you're just trying to do your job."

The otter rolled her eyes. "Verdegrand doesn't mind us talking about it, but he'll know more than we will. Right now, we just check fences." She jabbed her clipboard at the next segment in the line to get her companion to move. "Come on, Millet."

"Before you go-" Judy unfolded her picture again. "You recognize this reindeer at all?"

They looked - properly, which was more than could be said for their last interview subjects - but they, too, shook their heads.

"That's from our cameras?" The polecat asked. "I'll bet IT is wishing they'd sprung for more resolution. Sorry, Officer."

"It's all right," Judy said. "Thanks for your time."

"Thank you," the otter said. Her companion nodded in agreement. "The city always takes this stuff seriously, which is more than some of the locals will do. Don't let them slow you down too much."

They got out of the drifted snow. Judy stamped numb paws against the cold concrete of the sidewalk. "Well?"

"That's useful, at least," Nick said. "No love lost between the utility contractors and the mammals down here."

"Still no closer to a motive, though."

"Other than _we hate public works projects_ ," Nick said. "For no reason. It's their tax money, too."

"Did Claremont give us a phone number?"

Nick nodded. "And personal email."

"If she has time, we should get her take on why."

Hours of mostly fruitless beatwork later, Judy was dead on her soaked feet and tired of getting the same standoffish responses to all of her questions. They went back to Tundratown headquarters just in time to set upon the pile of granola bars someone had left out in the conference room. Some of the Precinct One officers were napping in their chairs. The Precinct Three members just looked grim. At least they were getting shift changes.

Fangmire had a clipboard and a tablet. "Any news?" he asked.

"No hits on the mammal of interest," Nick said from his chair. "We're getting a little closer on motive. Nothing concrete yet. I was going to ask Claremont herself."

"Already in with the head honcho," Fangmire said. He juggled his clipboard and selected a bar with strawberry filling. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You two holding up?"

He always made that sound just a little bit more conspiratorial and paternal than anyone else. Judy appreciated that, more than was probably safe. Compared to what the three of them had tangled up in before, an arson case with dozens of obstinate spectators bolted on was just another day at work.

"Food helps," she said. "Nick tells me I can't run on just coffee."

"You're at shift change, technically," Fangmire said. "Take a nap, if you like."

"What about you? You've been on this even longer."

"Yeah, I have." His granola bar disappeared in one bite. "If I fall over, you catch me."

He drifted away. Nick eyed her across the pile of bright wrappers. "It's a good idea. Go sleep."

She stayed in her seat. "And what about you?"

"I'm going to email Claremont, and then I'll join you."

Her grin got interrupted with a massive yawn. "I don't think any of these corners are that private."

"Don't I wish." He pulled his phone out.

Judy went to find a spot against the wall where she wouldn't be underfoot. Her coat would be a serviceable pillow.

And the steady chatter of the makeshift ops room was soporific. She set her phone alarm for one hour, and was out like a light.


	3. Chapter 3

Nick shook her awake, ten minutes early. She sat up in the shadow of a large-scale chair. He was crouched on her other side.

"We've got an arrest," he said. He kept his muzzle close to her ear, maybe taking advantage of the corner they were in to steal a moment.

"Already?" All the mammalpower ZPD was throwing at the canvassing was paying off. She ignored her protesting backside and got to her feet. "Did you sleep?"

"For a while."

_"Nick."_

"It's fine, Carrots." Nick's lips pressed into a thin line, and he did look haggard and drawn as he pulled her to her feet. "He's down in interview."

They had to follow someone else, though, because of the unfamiliar layout. The rhino caught her up as they walked.

As the day wore on, the crowds had grown - and the mood had shifted toward good old-fashioned demonstration. Officers reported signs and chanting. The citations had started, too, for disorderly conduct and obstruction of traffic.

They'd grabbed a reindeer right out of the worst one so far, after he'd stepped into an existing confrontation, and had nearly hauled in a couple of his buddies in the ensuing argument. It wasn't any admission of guilt in the larger incident, but it gave the police probable cause to ask more questions. He'd clammed up until his attorney arrived.

Judy and Nick jostled for a spot in the standing room-only observation booth and wound up in the tiny space near the front, where she could barely see a sullen reindeer through the mirror panel if she stood on tiptoe. Nick was reading from the incident report on his phone.

"Micah Park, reindeer, 34. Listed address on the west edge of Tundratown, almost at the Rainforest border. Nothing else on his record but a public nuisance call from last year. A traffic violation, too."

"And we think he knows something?"

"Knows something?" A pig in Precinct Three livery shook his head next to them. "You didn't see Lansen's cam footage, did you? The guy was yelling about a statement. A first step."

"The antlers match, too," a rhino on his other side rumbled. "Bet you Setter cracks him in half."

Judy willed her ears to keep still. These two were talking like they'd already made up their minds that Park here and the mystery suspect on their arson footage were one and the same. Visual ID wasn't enough. Yes, antlers and other adornments were genetically unique, but the differences came from subtleties in the DNA - not what they looked like. She'd had that drilled into her in her first month of Academy training.

And nobody just went out one morning and decided to commit arson with a record like that. Right? Or waited around afterward somewhere they might get into a confrontation with the police. Judy watched his antlers move, despite herself, as he nodded at something his impeccably-dressed camel attorney was saying.

Presently the door opened and an older wolf in plainclothes entered the interview room. The duty officer, Judy noticed, came in as well and stood guard on this side of the portal. Precinct Three did things differently.

"Micah Park?" His voice rasped like gravel.

Even seated across the table, the reindeer was taller than the wolf, thanks to his antlers. "Yes."

"I'm Senior Detective Setter, ZPD." He placed paper files and a smartphone on the table. "We'd like to determine whether you were involved in an incident on Claremont Energy property this morning."

"This morning? When?"

"Shortly after 3 A.M."

 _"Three-"_ Park frowned. "I was asleep, at home. You think it was me?"

"Where is your home?"

"287 Lowland Falls. In the foothills." His antlers had a way of magnifying every little movement of his head.

"You work there?"

"I'm retired."

"Retired? At 34?"

"Good money in energy." Park snorted. "While it lasts, anyway."

Setter turned on a tablet in a stand on the table and rotated it to face the other. Judy wouldn't have been able to see its screen, even if she'd been as tall as the rhino behind her, but it was pulling its feed from the console in here. On the display to her right, she could see the same low-framerate footage she and Nick had tracked down, of a reindeer cutting their way through a fence in front of one of Claremont's evaporators.

"So you weren't out at the climate wall this morning?"

"Of course not." Park shook his head at the footage, and leaned back. "I was up late with friends. We went to the Deep Freeze Bar, and then I took a black car home."

"They'd back you up, then?" Setter tilted his muzzle at the phone. "You have photos of last night, maybe?"

"Uh-uh." Park's wide, flat teeth appeared in a humorless grimace. He looked to his lawyer for confirmation. "Nice try. I know my rights. You can't get into my phone without a warrant."

The detective just gave an amiable nod. "What do you know about Claremont Energy Group?"

That was a classic right-angle tactic, and Judy could see it working. Park had been restless and defensive from the start, and now he was blinking, to catch up. He was no Baird; he didn't have the poise or self-assured quiet of the koala Judy had tangled with in her own last big interview. That was probably for the best.

"Utilities contractor. They run the climate wall. And they bought up a bunch of land from other energy companies and local owners."

"When was that?"

"Seriously? It was all over the news."

Setter raised his bushy eyebrows. "Must have missed it. Do you know how much?"

"Almost half a mile in either direction." Park lowered his head a bit. "And they started putting conditions on how mammals could live inside the lines."

"I understand they're contracts," Setter said. "Entered into voluntarily." He checked something on his own notepad. "And it's closer to a quarter mile."

"They push further than that."

"When they obtain easements onto the property in question," Setter said. "Again, via contract."

"So?"

"You've been to their meetings, haven't you?" Setter tapped something else on the tablet and Judy watched the slightly shaky view of a ZPD body camera start up. Antelope and reindeer and elk were all in animated discussion, all at once - and Park leaned into frame, right in front. Of the overlapping voices, his was most prominent.

_He has a right to be here! His voice matters as much as anyone else's!_

_Do you see any cars coming? It's not-_

_Yes! Claremont doesn't care about public access. They stand there every two months in their 'open city meetings,' listen politely while each and every- no, stop it, he's not-_

_Stop! They stand there while we talk and then they ignore everything and just keep pushing! That's not dialogue! And now you won't give it to him here! It's a public road! If this is what it takes to make a statement-_

Setter paused the playback.

"That was just before you intervened and forced Officer Lansen to detain you," he said. "I understand, things get heated out there." He scratched his nose. "But the roads do have to stay clear."

Park worked his jaw.

"I think you understand how the process works," Setter said. "You sound better acquainted with Claremont's business practices and legal standing than most. Right?"

"Someone has to keep track of what they do," the reindeer said. "Someone has to hold them accountable, or they'll just keep muscling everyone out because they got away with it before."

"What Claremont does is legal."

Park snorted. "What Claremont does is entrap mammals unlucky enough to do business with them." He jerked his antlers back and forth. "They run faster than their own contracts allow, and then justify all of it after the fact with fancy legalese. If the city had any sense, it would see the monopoly staring it in the face."

"Business commission auditors would disagree," Setter said. "That wall is critical to half the population. Yeah, Claremont is the one that keeps it running, but there are decades of quarterly reports from the city. It watches how it's run to make sure everyone's getting a fair deal."

" _Fair,_ huh?" Park was disgusted. "She lining their pockets with tax money, or something? So they'll look the other way while she's on this crusade?"

Setter was all polite surprise at Park's word choice. "You work with gasoline, Mr. Park?"

Another right angle. Park was asking what he would need gasoline for, but it faded to background noise in Judy's ears. She was busy attacking these new tidbits, trying to figure out where they fit with the rest of what they knew.

Protests - and this was a protest now - didn't come from nowhere. Arson, even less so. The locals here had some kind of problem with Claremont, and the way it did business. Park probably knew more than he was letting on, too - he was just smart enough to keep from saying anything too incriminating. But it was clear Setter was working him up. Things were slipping through.

\---

"It's going to depend on his alibis," Nick said when she bounced it off him later. "And they'll have to analyze the footage; we both know it's not enough to make a charge stick until then." Nick kept pace with her along the edge of the corridor, out of the way of the larger mammals streaming by. "It feels like whatever this is, it's bigger than him."

With the scene largely secure, the dragnet was lifting a bit. Fresh officers were coming in from downtown, and from other precincts, to take over the oddly-timed second shift. Even Fang was getting relieved. Now that the worst of the emergency meetings were over, Bogo had freed up, too - and he looked like he was going to keep working. He was at the end of the conference room when Judy and Nick came in.

"Hopps."

Bogo looked - well, he didn't get exhausted like a normal mammal. He just got more and more imposing. The styrofoam cup of coffee in his hooves might have been big enough for Judy to climb into. That sounded pretty good right now, actually.

Instead, she and Nick perched a large-scale chair - together - at the end of the table.

"Anything useful from the questioning?"

"I think so, sir. There's more history behind these protests than we know about," Nick said. "Not that anyone's in a sharing mood."

"They don't always have to be." Fangmire was frowning at the bodycam footage from before. "They say plenty in range of the microphones."

Bogo's lip twitched. "Fang tells me you've made new friends in high places. Did Claremont say anything about this?"

"I sent her an email about an hour ago," Nick said. "Nothing yet, but she wants to meet us tomorrow."

"You, as in you and Hopps."

Nick's wan smile was closer to a grimace. "Yes, Sir."

"Your reputation precedes you, I see," Bogo muttered. He took a long, considered drink. "Fine. As long as you're the ones she's paying attention to right now, see if you can get any more details. And please remind her the corporate division will be asking for appointments, too."

"Yes, Sir," they said.

"You're doing good work on this," Bogo said, and eyed Nick. "Keep it up."

There was a lot unsaid there. Nick was still technically under probationary service, for his role in the confrontation at Sarona tower that had finally stopped Baird. Bogo was keeping a close eye on his actions and interactions, and Sergeant Marki wandered by every so often to check in. Nick didn't seem to mind - he took it as seriously as they did - but Judy was glad this case wasn't shaping up to be as directly threatening.

"No need to tell Claremont everything," Fangmire said as Bogo went to check in with some of the other officers. "Discretion is the name of the game until we have an actual suspect, especially since Chief says she can be a bit unorthodox."

"Yes, sir."

"Now go home and get some rest," Fang said. "Properly."

\---

It was bizarre, getting reminded that the rest of the city wasn't locked up under a coating of ice and blowing snow. None of the other biomes ever took up Judy's awareness so completely. Now she was in the midscale seats, pushing her paws against the inside of the train window in an attempt to soak up the heat of the evening sun downtown.

Nick tilted his head next to her. "You solar-powered?"

"You forget it's early summer everywhere else," Judy said. She kept her paws in place. "I'll need thermals if we go back there tomorrow."

"At least it won't be as early."

The train dropped them at the medley of businesses and restaurants by Nick's apartment. They walked on the warm cobbles past a bustling sports bar and the evening foot traffic at the corner grocery store, and decided on the elevator in Nick's building instead of the stairs. It was one of those kind of nights.

Nick's apartment was just as they'd left it, rumpled sheets and all. Judy stood and took in the familiarity and waited for Nick to lock the door and turn on the lights behind her. He did the former automatically, but he was slow to reach for the lightswitch. She turned and caught the glow of his phone.

"Claremont just got back to us," he said. "She says we can meet her tomorrow before she goes in to a bunch of meetings downtown."

"Where?"

"Tundratown."

"Ugh." She crossed to the drawn blinds. The last of the evening sun would be falling on his windows.

"Way north, though. Up in the montane forests." He frowned at the screen. "I wonder what they do up there."

"I'm taking a shower."

Nick put his phone away and unclipped his belt. "Still cold?"

"I was shivering all day, even with the coat," she said, and started pulling off her own uniform.

He was rummaging in the fridge. "I might need to run to the store for something to eat after all. There's green pepper, but nothing to go with it."

"That's fine."

"Be back as soon as I can." Nick crossed the room long enough to put his paws on his cheeks and smile down at her. His pads were warm. "Do you want hummus?"

"Yes, please. I'm going to use all your hot water."

"Okay." He kissed her forehead and went to retrieve his keys.

Nick's bathroom was midscale, designed for an animal just a bit bigger than he was. He made it work, but it was definitely still too large for her. She had to reach on tiptoe to crank the water on. The upside was the torrent covered her whole body, thrumming against her bowed forehead and racing around to curl behind the base of her ears. She let the warmth soak all the way through her and wished she could turn her brain off as completely.

Micah Park was going to walk. They'd seen almost all of the questioning. ZPD simply didn't have enough evidence to hold onto him in connection with the arson from this morning. Was it really just this morning? It had been a long day.

Judy wasn't worried about him causing trouble beyond tangling with the protest detail again. If he was the perpetrator, he'd have to get past several police lines to do any more damage.

The problem wasn't the potential for physical damage, though. Judy hadn't wanted to worry about what unrest on the streets meant, but it was bringing back the memories of the peace rallies during the nighthowler scare. She had hoped the lack of a strict divide down the center of the issue would help things.

And they still didn't know why. Not completely. Park had been smart enough not to spill too much of what he knew in questioning, and everyone else out at the scenes seemed to take a weird pleasure in holding something over the police's heads.

Eventually she heard Nick come back and rummage in the kitchen.

"Carrots?"

Judy reached over and swiped a clear patch in the fogged-over shower door. He was poking his head through the bathroom door.

"Yeah."

"There's some soup on, for when you're done. And peppers."

He'd join her if she asked him to. She savored that idea for a minute, but they would both do well to catch up on their sleep. Tomorrow was going to be early.

"Sounds good. I'll be right out."

She dried off and changed into one of Nick's shirts, the one she'd adopted. Nick was ladling soup into oversize mugs for both of them; they took them to her couch and curled up. Judy stuck her nose in the fragrant steam.

"You okay?" he asked against the top of her head.

 _Okay_ okay. "I'm warmed up. I'm just trying to drop today before we have to pick it up again tomorrow."

"Mm. Park?"

"Not just Park. I don't like what could happen with these protests."

"ZPD's got practice keeping things under control," Nick said. "You especially. I saw how those went, you know. After the nighthowler conference." His free paw snugged her closer. Judy could feel his claws prickling. "You kept trying to fix the things that were broken. You'll do it this time, too."

She was the one who had broken them, to be fair. But Nick wasn't going to care about that part. He never had, not since she'd come back to find him under his bridge.

"And you?" she asked. "Any skeletons?"

"None so far," Nick said.

He barely betrayed anything at the mention of difficult work, except to squeeze her tighter. Judy relaxed. She was the one he would be most honest with, if the stress of the extra scrutiny from Bogo and the others was starting to get to him. They both knew how important that was.

But for now, they could both put it away. They finished their soup and watched out the windows as the rest of the city bedded down for the night. Judy leafed through and old science magazine from a stack of them on Nick's table and read about rocks and minerals, and he played with her ears to draw the last of the tension out of her.

And when it was time, instead of moving to the bed, Nick reached up and pulled a thick blanket off the back of the couch.

"Remind me to get extra layers from my place before we leave tomorrow," Judy said. "If we have time."

"That far north isn't as bad," Nick said. He'd set an alarm on his phone.

"I'd rather play it safe. We might get called back to Precinct Three." Judy reached up to slide a paw into the fuzzy fur of his throat as he wrapped them in their blanket. "And we should go to Sahara Square this weekend. I want to lie in the sun somewhere."

She heard him yawning. "Deal."


	4. Chapter 4

Their far-north location turned out to be a private residence. Rachel Claremont lived so far up and away from the main thoroughfares of Tundratown that her address was almost outside city limits. It wasn't snowing or icy up here right now, and Nick suspected when it did it was a totally natural occurrence.

Instead, the quiet road wound through pine forests so thick Judy nearly missed the unassuming driveway.

"I think Claremont likes her privacy," he said, staring around through the windshield.

It was the only house they'd seen for miles, it was true. But it was hard to miss. The glossy single-story building was mostly windows, with ranks of solar panels on the roof. It sat on the edge of this spur of trees - tall pines on one side, and open grassland fading away towards the foothills to the east. Judy parked on the flagstone drive next to an electric sedan. Claremont herself met them at the door.

"Good morning, officers." She stepped back and let them in. "I hope coming all the way out here on short notice wasn't too much trouble."

The greatroom was all light-grained wood and glass, arranged around a twisted sculpture of weathered driftwood in the center of the space. It was all clinically clean, more like a business than a residence - but it had one long-term occupant. Nick could smell female tiger amid the neutral home fragrance.

"You're even busier than we are," Judy said. "Thank you for making the time to meet with us."

"Can I get you something to drink? There's fresh coffee."

"That's all right. Thank you."

"I wish I had more news," Claremont said. She seemed to be finishing breakfast herself. Nick caught the scent of her coffee on the kitchen island, next to a tablet displaying some sort of blueprint. "My teams have stopped the bleeding, so to speak. They'll start decommissioning the damaged hardware and cleaning up the sites today."

"You're moving quickly," Nick said.

"We have to. The adjacent chillers only just kept up when the backups melted."

"Oh."

"We replaced all the damaged parts last night." Claremont took a drink and waved it away with her other paw. "Your press liaison said at his conference yesterday ZPD had made arrests of interest."

"Yes, Ma'am," Judy said. "Several mammals got into confrontations during yesterday's protests. We questioned one in connection with the apparent arson."

"And?"

"His alibis check out, so we don't think there's enough evidence to detain him for much longer. But he's no fan of your company."

"Can you give me a name?"

Nick watched Judy's ear track his way. Fangmire had advised them not to share too many details, but that part at least was a matter of public record. And Claremont's insight could be useful.

"Micah Park," he said. "A reindeer."

"Park." Claremont slowed down, except for the tip of her tail. She leaned forward to brace her arms on the counter between them. "My team needs another day at most to finish its analysis of the footage. You can't hold him that long?"

Judy's ears tracked harder. Nick turned back to the industrialist.

"It sounds like you know him." Where had that been yesterday? "Anything you can share with us will help, Ma'am."

"Micah Park ran Ranger Energy when we acquired the company three years ago," Claremont said. She paced to the window. "He resigned abruptly when we accelerated our own energy stakes and started planning for coolant expansions with the city."

"He didn't mention that in questioning," Judy said. She looked back at him. "Right?"

"We also didn't ask." Nick shrugged. Their own background check was still working its way through the system. "He's not obliged to volunteer anything."

"And he wouldn't, I imagine." Claremont was tapping at her tablet. Nick could hear her claws ticking against the screen. "Park disagreed with our plans as soon as he learned of them. He felt he was getting cut out of the picture."

That sounded more like it. "He says you're moving faster on construction than your contracts allow," Nick said.

"That's incorrect," she said. "We always operate within our agreed jurisdiction, even when our climate targets are especially stringent."

"I'm just passing on the quote, Ma'am."

"I know, Officer Wilde." She sighed and dragged a big paw across her muzzle. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to take this out on you. You're just doing your jobs. Thank you for telling me."

"It's okay," Judy said. "Ma'am, could this have been an inside job? Did you have problems with Park while he worked for you?"

"No. He didn't start speaking out against the company until after he left."

"Can you describe that behavior?"

"Protests, and other bits of agitation. He and his group show up during quarterly meetings to shout about overreach, but they can't change what we're legally permitted and obligated to do. If he's responsible for this shutdown, it will be the most aggressive he or anyone has ever been."

Nick didn't trust this tigress any further than he could throw her. But she still cut a sympathetic figure. Everything they'd heard and discovered themselves so far about Claremont Energy Group suggested the firm was a wonderful place to work. Employees were happy. City Hall was more than pleased with the contract work it had cut for building and running the climate wall. Half of Zootopia's residents got some benefit.

There were bound to be exceptions, though. And when the good was this good, apparently the bad was that much worse, too.

"We need a motive if we want any chance of tying someone more closely to the damage at the wall," Nick said. "And if you didn't fire him..."

Judy seemed to wince at his language. "His work history will help, regardless. Disciplinary records. And you mentioned a group - if you have anything you can share on them?"

"We'll assemble a file for you," Claremont said. She was reading something. "I can tell you now that he doesn't live in the affected easements, or anywhere within our arranged area of influence. He would be on a list. The city helps maintain that."

There was a subtle chime from somewhere deeper in the house. She tapped a control, and the door behind them swung open so Verdegrand could duck through.

Claremont met his eyes, over their heads. "Micah Park."

Judy stiffened. "Ma'am, I'm sorry, but we have to ask - insist - that you be careful with your actions right now."

"We don't have an official suspect yet," Nick said. "I know you mean well, but if you respond to this it could end up obstructing our work. This is going to take time to get right."

"Of course." Claremont held up a paw and looked from Verdegrand back down to them. "That will not leave this room. I just want my security chief to have as much information as I do, in case it becomes important again. You said he would be released."

"That's right," Judy said.

"Then we'll keep an eye out for him, in case he shows up somewhere he shouldn't be," Verdegrand said. "Ready when you are, Ma'am."

"I'm sorry this was all the time I had this morning," Claremont said. She came around from the kitchen and started down the main hallway, raising her voice so they'd be able to hear her as she disappeared into one of the other rooms. "There's a public roundtable in Tundratown tonight, after I meet with the board. After an incident like this, we felt it prudent to bump the next meeting up."

"Someone will be by to watch for troublemakers, probably," Nick said.

"ZPD has our calendar," Verdegrand said. "They've already been in touch."

"And while I'm at it, I can put myself and the company at your disposal," Claremont called. "ZPD's investigators will meet with us today and tomorrow, but I'd like to continue working with the two of you if possible."

Judy came up on the balls of her feet, just a bit. "Yes, Ma'am."

"Anything we can give you to help you with your work, I'll see that you get it. Starting with Park's files."

"Thank you, Ma'am," Judy said. "Where did Park work while he was an employee? We might start there."

"Rainforest." She had a briefcase, and a folio in her paws with the tablet. "At the generators. They were what he knew best."

"Anyone who knew him still working there?" Nick asked.

"His plant administrator, probably. I'll get you a phone number. You can stop by anytime you like. They'll be expecting you."

Verdegrand got the door for them again. The car he'd brought was a carbon copy of the one in her driveway. It must have been a company thing.

"Thanks for the starting points," Judy said.

"Thank _you,_ " Claremont said. "My board, and I, are going to want someone to prosecute. We wouldn't be able to do this without your help."

"We'll get you your name," Judy said. "Even if it's not Park, we'll keep looking into this."

"Call me if you need questions answered. Any time."

And she was gone, leaving Nick and Judy on the front path. Her car whirred and was lost to the breeze.

"Why do I feel like we just gave her a lot of leash?" Nick asked.

"We got our leads, too," Judy said. She tugged at his paw to get him to grin. "Look at it this way, if something happens to Park, we know who to talk to first."

"Great."

"Yes, great." She turned to lead the way. "Come on. Let's go poke around the Rainforest burners."

\---

Trash was never glamorous, but Claremont's operation got as close as one could. Nick had never really considered before that so many of the towering trees were actually disguised disposal centers.

But the burners in Rainforest District consumed 98 percent of the waste mass in the city - everything from processed residential trash to old textiles and worn-out furniture. This plant worked like all the others: Trash got sorted on a maze of conveyors and dumped down here at ground level, into six huge furnaces that turned steam turbines.

It was oppressively hot and steamy and _ripe_ this close to them, but it was cleaner than Nick expected. The parts of the facility that weren't burners snaked around the edge of the complex. Each prefabricated truss and segment was cut from the same color scheme as the climate wall, and Nick could see all manner of greenery growing outside the plant's walkways and ladders.

Claremont had sophisticated capture filters set up, and according to their guide here, that was what needed the most supervision. With so much and so many different things burning nearly 24 hours a day, the screens and canisters got clogged quickly.

"Right here," the sheep said. His wool was sheared short, probably to deal with the heat. "You can see the cylinders through the window there."

Nick, obediently, squinted through the hazy effects. This guy was enthusiastic about his job.

"So Park's job was monitoring the filters?"

"Mostly making better ones." The administrator nodded. "He had chemical experience with capture from units like these. Not as large or as sophisticated, of course. But yeah, he knew how to switch them out as well as anyone."

"Do you know what happened to him?" Judy asked.

"Layoffs, wasn't it? Or at least that had something to do with it. He resigned just before a lot of the other old coal staff got let go."

"So it wasn't a sudden change," Nick proposed. "Whatever made him quit was-" He glanced through the observation port at the orange glow beneath them. " _Burning_ for a while."

"Never knew him well enough to tell you," the sheep said. He shrugged. "He was a good fit for the job, and did it well while he was here. It was tough to see him go."

"Does Claremont have coal plants?" Judy asked. She had the same idea: Corroborate what they could so far.

"Not anymore." He reached a hoof under the headband of his white hard hat. "You might have to check with records on exactly when, but we phased all of those out more than a year ago."

"Before Park left, or after?"

"After, I think."

"You still have his personnel files?" Nick asked.

"Sure do. Someone up in the office can get a copy for you." They all crowded to the side of the catwalk to let a goat past. "We're about to switch one of the canisters out," the foreman said. "You want to see how it's done?"

"That's all right." Nick reached out to shake his hoof. "Thanks for your time."

\---

"Not so bad," Judy said as they left on the broad avenue back toward where they'd parked. She was studying the flashdrive the secretary had given them.

"Says you. Your nose isn't as sensitive." Nick was still trying to clear his, even out here in the relatively free air. It wasn't as hot, but the humidity was just as bad, and it made everything feel ten times worse than the mild air of downtown. His fur was fluffing out. "You think that's going to be useful?"

"I want to ask Fang about it," she said. "We're letting Park go, right?"

"More like we can't legally detain him much longer."

"My point being we're not chasing him for anything concrete with the arson yet. I worry about how far we can actually dig around here. Claremont herself wouldn't care, but we're not her."

The cruiser, at least, offered climate control, tuned for cool, dry air. Nick cranked it and loosened his tie.

Judy made a good point. She'd always been sensitive to those sort of things, about what they could and couldn't do in the pursuit of suspects and justice. Not that Nick had planned to plug the drive into their field computer or anything. She was just thinking ahead already.

"His career just dead-ended," Judy mused. She was still twirling the chip in her paws. "It's a long way for someone with Park's expertise to fall."

"Do you think he saw it coming?"

"It'll depend on his record while he was there. Worth looking into." Judy leaned forward and took the pawset. "Dispatch, this is Hopps."

"Go ahead."

Nick squeezed them out from behind the mid-scale car that had appeared to park them in while they'd been gone, and took them out back toward the freeway. Judy got in touch with Fangmire and filled him in.

"It might help motive," the tiger said. "There's almost a year gap in there I don't like, though. Maybe if he'd admitted to anything specific against the company in our interviews, but for now it's a hunch. Sorry, Hopps, but you made the right call. Sit on it in case we get something better."

"Yes, Sir."

"He's out, by the way. We ran out of questions for him a while ago."

"Figures." Judy glanced at Nick and toggled the vox button. "Orders?"

"We pulled a couple more mammals of interest, but unless anything interesting comes out of their interviews I want you to stay on that work for Claremont until it's done. Come back and get an official report ready for the corporate team so they can take it with them tomorrow. Here or Downtown, I'm not picky."

"Yes, sir. Hopps out." She reached for Nick's shoulder. "Downtown? I don't like the cold."

"Sure thing," Nick said. "I have an idea first, though. In case we ever get to move on Park's history."

Nick got in the lane that would take them left, toward Rainforest's urban center, and watched her ears. He loved still being able to surprise her.

"I'm guessing you know a guy."

Nick nodded. "I know a guy, who knows a girl, who knows her way around a database."

She was fighting the smile. "Nick, is this legal?"

"Oh yeah," he said. "It's our fault, even."

\---

The okapi on front dispatch at Precinct Four headquarters hadn't known anyone named Julian, but when Nick had asked about Patch instead, he'd brightened and pointed them back here.

This police division had its own literal jungle gym. There were weights and machines like the ones Nick knew from their own headquarters, but Rainforest had a four-story greenhouse, too, filled with a tangle of the same trees and vines that stretched into the distance above and below them outside. _Know thine territory_ was apparently maxim.

And there was a squirrel about halfway up one of the big trees, hanging unsecured off a limb out over two stories of open space, doing chin-ups. Judy was laughing quietly.

"Hey, Patch!"

He paused and looked down, and his tail flicked in surprise. He dropped straight off the branch to a lower one, and then took an even longer fall to the floor in front of them.

"Nick! Judy!" Patch reached up to shake Nick's paw. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We were in the neighborhood," Nick said.

"What, sightseeing?"

"On business, or so Nick says," Judy said. She shook his paw, too. "I haven't seen you since graduation. How are things?"

"Exciting." Patch beamed. It crinkled the splash of lighter grey fur around his right eye. "I haven't had a dull patrol yet."

"And the paperwork?" Nick asked.

He nodded. "Less exciting, but still important. I knew what I was getting into."

Judy grinned. "That's the spirit."

Patch LeCarroll had set a new record for ZPD's smallest field officer when he'd graduated last year. Even Judy was taller than gray squirrels.

But Patch was a lot like Judy, too, in that he wasn't about to let something like scale get in the way of a promising career with the police. They'd spent some time with him at the Academy when Bogo had sent them through after the nastiness of the Boots case. They'd attended his graduation, too, and he'd been cutting his teeth down here in Rainforest ever since.

He beckoned them toward the multiscale water fountains at the edge of the greenhouse. "What do you think? They finished renovations the same month I got here."

"We just have a bunch of treadmills," Judy said.

"Lots of mammals here live right in the trunks and limbs," Patch said. "We have to get around in three dimensions more often than the other biomes."

"You seem to be doing okay." She indicated his suit, a darker version of the one she wore. "But no belay? I'll bet your chief doesn't like that."

"Shh." Patch grinned and leaned close. "I'm not on duty right now, technically."

"I'm glad Nick was such a good influence on you."

"And I'm about to make it worse." Nick poked a claw at Judy's shoulder. "Did you get briefed on what's going on in Tundratown?" he asked.

"Protests," Patch said. "And probable arson. Over new construction?"

"We think so," Judy said. "Except we still don't have a motive. We've been chasing leads and suspects, but we won't be lucky enough for this to just fall together for us."

"Someone here?"

"Our best bet worked with Claremont Energy, at the boilers," Judy said. "But it was, what, a year ago now?"

"At least."

Patch looked thoughtful. "I know the name, but I've never had calls that go through there. Mostly it's rescue ops. Believe it or not lots of mammals still fall out of the trees here, or drive off the overpasses."

"We still would have to get approval to follow up on anything specific," Nick said. "Our Captain's waved us off unless something else breaks. But if it does, we have some data here that's going to need expert crunching."

Patch brightened. "Shay loves a good challenge. Do you want me to give it to her?"

"If it comes up," Nick said. "For now we were just wondering if she would be interested. Let her know she'll end up saving us some time."

"How is she, anyway?" Judy asked.

"Great." Patch grinned wide and a little secretive. "IT work keeps her pretty busy, but she swings patrol duty with me sometimes when she's not running a sensor van. And our schedules are the same."

"Nice, isn't it?" Nick asked. He smiled down at Judy, who came back just as warm. Patch had stumbled into the personal half of their lives at the Academy. They'd never had to check themselves around him. It still felt like a luxury sometimes.

"She has more paperwork than I do, most days. It surprised both of us."

"Speaking of," Judy muttered.

"Yeah, yeah." Nick let her shoulders go. "We'll get it done."

"I have some, too," Patch said. His tail flipped toward the locker rooms. "It's probably good that you showed up; I needed to get back to it."

"You have my number?" Nick asked.

"And Judy's." Patch nodded.

"We'll have to set something up," she said. "Let us know if you and Shay want to grab lunch sometime."

"You bet. Thanks for stopping by, both of you."

\---

"You know we are a bad influence," Judy said, when they were on their way back downtown. "It's like you're checking with your old contacts."

"It worked, didn't it?" Nick grinned at her mock exasperation. "But I could talk to Big now, if you want."

"It's fine. It was good to see him."

They spent another couple hours transcribing interview notes and filling out more of the professional file on Rachel Claremont for the corporate crimes division. After that, they watched the inconclusive results from detainee interviews out of Precinct Three until it was time to clock out.

Dinner was leftovers - the last of the week's food before they picked someplace to get a hot meal for the weekend. Nick kicked back on his couch in Judy's apartment and watched her alternate between eating and assembling the tools they would need for the weekend.

"I washed your gloves," she said.

"Thanks."

Two pairs of work gloves, one set reinforced for canine claws, went into the little basket. Judy added a spade and put the whole package next to the watering can by the door.

"Soon," she said, and bounced onto the couch next to him. "If not this weekend, then probably next."

"Any trick to harvesting cucumbers?"

"Not really. We kept up the watering and weeding. They do the rest themselves, mostly."

Nick left his egg noodles alone long enough to nuzzle at her ears. "Perfect."

She leaned back against him. "And there's-"

Her phone went off, with that stupid cheery ringtone that meant it wasn't normal traffic. His followed, on the other end of the couch. Nick met her eyes and stayed where he was, with his arms around her. She smiled at him.

"I know."

"Unless someone is bleeding, I don't want to move," Nick said. He bowed his muzzle against her head. "You can say that makes me a bad cop, if you want."

"No bleeding." She scrolled. "It's a push advisory about the Claremont meeting. Lots of protest activity. Media's on scene now, too." Her ears wavered, in mild disgust. "Do you think they can smell it?"

"Just doing their jobs," Nick said. "Like us. As long as they're not getting in anyone's way."

"I know." But then her sense changed under him. "And Park's there. That's why we got this."

Nick sighed and tried to ignore the bad feeling crawling around in his chest. "That's it then, isn't it?"

"The flag means half the cops down there are watching him, at least." Judy switched to her browser. ZNN had a livestream going.

Nick could have asked her to stop. He would have preferred to keep things totally separate. But they both felt the unease that came with having to let go of a lead that was probably really important after all.

That, he was pretty sure, made him the opposite of a _bad cop_ , even if it did dent their free time together. He hugged her closer, with a thumb for her cheek, and they settled back to watch.

Even from where the cameras were inside and over phone speakers, Nick could hear chanting. A Zebra with a Claremont ID clipped over her jacket was standing behind her side of the table, doing a decent job of talking over the protesters.

"-the damage from yesterday's incident. Claremont Energy is working closely with representatives from the city and with ZPD investigators to determine what happened. In the meantime, we stand by our commitments to the citizens of Zootopia. We will repair and rebuild immediately, to ensure as little downtime along the climate wall as possible. The safety and comfort of the residents Claremont serves are our utmost priorities."

That, predictably, got the noise from somewhere offscreen to ramp up. The rep's face didn't even flicker. She sat and someone called for questions, and ZNN's cameras panned to a long line of freshly agitated locals. And right in front - in what Nick guessed wasn't a coincidence at all - was Micah Park.

"So that's it?" he barked into his mic. "I think I speak for everybody here when I say you haven't addressed the real issue here."

"We hear you, Mr. Park. You've made your concerns-"

"But you still aren't _listening_ ," Park shot back. He turned to quiet the angry retorts from the line behind him. "Mammals are getting forced out. You have not done enough to keep these same residents safe, at the end of the day."

"Mr. Park-"

"Rebuilding is ignorant. You keep pushing on everyone down here, eventually mammals are going to think they'll have to take drastic action to get through to you. That will only make the problem worse."

"Your incendiary language isn't helping matters, Mr. Park. We're working directly with every mammal currently affected. What's more, the city has build almost eighteen months of lead time into this transition. We've run dialogue-"

"It's clear you _haven't!_ Not with everyone. I know mammals who live here, and they've got nowhere else to go. Do you think I'm any more comfortable with that than you are?"

Other voices joined his again, until it was just a babble of anger. The Claremont reps stood on the other side of their long table and weathered it, stoic. Judy sighed and killed the application.

"They're nothing if not transparent," Nick said. "That's one way to do things."

Judy got up long enough to pull her thermals out of storage and hang them on her clothes rack next to her uniform. Her tail was twitching, when she came back to reach for him.

"Why him?" she asked. "What's his stake? He barely lives in Tundratown, technically. Yeah, he resigned. He was probably angry about it. But why is it all coming back now?"

"Convenient excuse, maybe," Nick said. They needed more background. Judy was right: Whatever his grievance was, it hadn't started with this bit of construction. "This could be just the latest thing that got under his fur."

She stared at their laced fingers, and Nick got the impression that she was keeping a mental list. "Maybe Bogo or Fang will give us the go-ahead to look at the records. It's all public anyway. And at this point we've already dropped the ball once."

Now he did want to drop it. Nick had suspected from when he'd first seen the damage in Tundratown that this was going to be another Baird, or maybe worse. The near miss on Park wasn't helping the feeling that it was already getting bigger than they were.

It meant hugs and little kisses didn't seem to be cutting it tonight, and they'd left it too late to watch a movie and get nice and distracted with each other.

He'd picked up a jigsaw puzzle, at the store the night before, because he'd felt it then, too. They were good old-fashioned cardboard pieces, with a picture of the red sandstone arches in the Canyonlands open space on the box. But he'd left it at his place, for an eventual surprise. He'd have to try to get them back there tomorrow, to get out ahead of this before it started to really weigh on either of them.

For now, Nick pulled Judy closer and lay back so they would both be more comfortable, and tried to wordlessly pull her mind away from the unrest doing its cold boil on the other side of the city.

It wasn't their problem. Not tonight.


	5. Chapter 5

But when Nick checked his inbox at work the next morning there was an email from Patch.

_That didn't take long,_ it read. _Let us know if we can help out._

Except for the occasional backup call to Tundratown, officers and leadership at Precinct One were back to business as usual. Nick and Judy got to sit out morning muster, thanks to their ongoing assignment. He got coffee from the break room for both of them and they hammered on paperwork until officers started streaming in from the bullpen and Bogo freed up.

They headed him off outside his office, where he would see them coming as he returned to work. He didn't have to say anything; He just held the door for them and held the intercom long enough to summon Fangmire.

Judy launched them right into it. "We want to look further into Micah Park."

Bogo hadn't even removed his glasses yet. He folded his arms. "Why?"

"He's got old personal connections to Claremont," Nick said. "Claremont the company and Claremont the tiger."

"Apparently he worked for the company for a couple years," Judy said. "Before that, he was part of a smaller energy company that Claremont eventually acquired."

"Did she give you his employment records?"

"Yes. but we haven't looked at them yet. No cause."

Fangmire slipped through the door behind them. "Boss."

Bogo made a rewinding motion. "From the top," he said. "Personal connections, Wilde?"

He was going to emphasize that, but Nick could hardly blame him. "Normally I wouldn't bring it up, but Park did, in questioning, so I figured it was worth following up on. We gave Claremont his name and she took it poorly."

Bogo studied them. "That's not enough for a warrant."

"No, but we're still trying to find a motive that fits," Judy said. "We hadn't considered revenge yet."

"Can't fault them for being thorough," Fangmire murmured.

Bogo glared.

Fangmire shrugged his broad shoulders. "Fine, if you won't tell them- We gave Park another warning last night."

Judy's ears shot straight up. _"I knew it."_

"Don't get excited," Bogo rumbled. "It's too early in the morning for you to be so happy."

"We didn't watch the ZNN stream all the way through," Judy said. "What did he do?"

"Nothing we can stop him from doing," Bogo said. "Lots of cheerleading, lots of carefully vague language. He's working the crowds up. Maritus says they camped out."

Nobody was going to stay the night out in Tundratown unless they were good and angry about something. Nick was once again glad they were here and not there in the cold right now - but then if they got the green light to work this angle, they might be back there after all. He'd have to go grab thermals from his apartment, too.

"Claremont herself sent us the cleaned surveillance tape last night," Fangmire said. "That's not enough to go on, either, but she voiced some concerns about Park."

" _Personal_ is right," Bogo muttered. "Intuition is not the same thing as admissible evidence. We can't arrest Park again, unless he gives us something new. But with two engagements in as many days, we _can_ put a closer eye on him." He plucked a slim folder off the desk and held it up. "Claremont has taken an official liking to you two, and the detectives are still busy thinning out the rest of our leads from the footage. You can help build up her connection to Park, but it needs to be by the book. Airtight. Am I clear?"

Judy, to her credit, managed to push down on her enthusiasm enough to hold still. "Yes, Sir."

"Wilde."

"We'll get it done, Sir."

Bogo spent a long moment watching him anyway.

"I need Fang here for now, so Marki will be coordinating the field team once she meets with his detectives. What do you need?"

Now Nick had to look away from Judy, or he wasn't going to be able to help the smile, either. This was too perfect. "Can we borrow someone on the Rainforest beat?"

\---

Patch and his partner Lauren Shayler showed up that afternoon, so fresh off the morning shift they hadn't even changed out of uniform. They stood in the lobby and took in Precinct 1's megafauna officers with the wide-eyed air of a couple of newbies.

Nick raised an eyebrow as he came up to greet them.

"Nice buckles."

Patch's tail twitched. He grinned down at his full-body harness. "Sometimes I get to dangle from things. I left my ropes in the cruiser."

His companion, an unusually small roe deer with glasses and the more traditional office uniform, reached out to shake their paws hello. "He enjoys it, too. It's good to see you both again."

"That's right, you've been keeping Patch in line since the Academy."

"Thanks for coming down so quick," Judy said. "How's Rainforest treating you?"

"A bit warmer than I'm used to, but our server rooms are climate-controlled." She smiled. "It is nice to get out, though."

"You should know you're signing up for some long nights with this," Nick said. He waited for Judy to nod along, just so they would all be on the same page. "You don't have to commit until you hear the whole pitch."

"Precinct Four is getting ready to start helping out more anyway." Patch waved it away. "And this beats desk duty already."

Marki, because she was Marki, had reserved them an entire conference room for their casual briefing. Nick led them back past Clawhauser's desk and into the admin section.

Fangmire was at the head of the table as they filed in. Shayler's ears came forward and she got a little smile.

"Marki's dropping her paperwork off in records," he said. "You ready to get started?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Officer LeCarroll, Officer Shayler, welcome to Precinct One." Fang's eyes twinkled. "These two speak quite highly of you. Thanks for coming down so quickly."

They took their seats.

"You've seen the alerts over the last couple days, so I can skip some of this. Your job-" he pointed to all of them - "will be to figure out how Micah Park relates to Claremont and her company. We've classified the Tundratown incident as arson, but we still don't have the evidence to hold suspects any longer. We, and Claremont's leadership, want to be ready in case he changes that."

"Is the goal arrest, or dissuasion?" Patch asked.

"That will depend on what he does next, if anything," Fang said. "We could only cite him for his interference in Tundratown the day of the arson, but he's been picking little fights since then."

The door behind them opened and a snow leopard entered the room. Sergeant Marki gave Nick a little nod. She was in grey fatigues, unmarked, cut to hide a stab vest. Plainclothes detail - or as close as Marki ever got to plain clothes.

"Our last contact with Park was last night." Fang pointed to Marki. "Right?"

"He's kept his head down since then," she said. "The crowds are getting worse."

"As best we can tell, a lot of the locals have lived there since Zootopia was founded," Fangmire said. "And Claremont wasn't always pushing on them."

"That's what their contracts were for, though," Judy said. "So they can expand if and when they have to. The residents got nice deals on the land, and they get paid if they have to move, too."

"That's how it works in theory," Fangmire agreed. He looked over his notebook. "And most of them have been honoring those agreements. But we can't ID everyone. Marki's been keeping an ear on the rest."

"It's mostly sympathizers," she said. "But some are stirring trouble, like Park."

"We've had a couple of arrests since Claremont announced it was going to carry on like nothing happened," Fangmire said. "Precinct Three is reporting a fair few mammals in hoods and masks, horn and antler wraps, the whole lot. We're looking to you for quick work on this one. If we can make official moves concerning Park - either to arrest him-" he raised his eyebrows- "Or to clear him of wrongdoing - it will help us defuse the situation faster. To do that, we need to know where he is."

"Yes, Sir," they chorused.

"I'll be around if you have questions, when I'm not coordinating the detectives," Fangmire said. "For day-to-day work, Sergeant Marki will take the lead. Good luck."

He gathered his notebooks and left through the door at the head of the room. Marki stayed at the other end of the table, where she was scrutinizing the other officers.

"LeCarroll, is it?"

"Or Patch, if that's easier." He nodded.

She eyed his kit. "Entry specialist?"

"That's right."

"And Lauren Shayler, yes? Your mother works here."

Shay's smile was back. "Yes, Ma'am. I go by Shay. It's less confusing. I'm in IT and field tech."

"What resources do you need?"

She indicated her bag. "I have a couple computers with me. As long as I can access ZPD databases I'll be good."

"Hopps and Wilde gave you Park's work history, yes?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Start there." Marki nodded. "We'll be observing in Tundratown tomorrow morning."

\---

They relocated to their cubicle, where there was just enough room to fit one more chair. Shay had opened one of her computers on the desk to go through Park's file. Patch stood on the desk itself, out from underfoot.

They were already adjusting well, Nick decided. Patch had always been enthusiastic and committed, like Judy, and it seemed he'd found a similar soul in his own partner. They were taking the unfamiliar surroundings and the immediate tasking well in stride.

Now, Nick was reading up on the latest reports from the climate wall site, to get a better idea of what they were going into. Judy was working with Patch to assemble a list of the equipment they'd need.

"You have thermals, Shay?" Patch asked.

"At home. I'll grab them tonight." She tapped at her keyboard. "Will Sergeant Marki have me out there with you?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say you'll be in a sensor van at worst," Nick said as he read. "We have a lot of presence down there already, between the protest lines and the beat patrols. Wouldn't hurt to be ready, though. Marki plays hunches sometimes."

"I like her." Shay pushed her glasses back up her nose. "She's very focused."

"She reminds me of Connelly," Patch said. "Same grim eyes."

"It's not a bad thing," Nick said. "If I can't have Judy watching my back, Marki's my second choice."

Judy just shook her head. "She's a better shot than I am. I think you're biased."

_Guilty._ Nick grinned at her and left it there. Patch knew a whole lot more about Nick and Judy's situation than most, so Nick wasn't as inclined to hide the facts, but he didn't want to push too fast into territory that might be uncomfortable for their fellow officers. They'd been working together for all of two hours now.

And there was something nibbling at him, something he couldn't quite place.

"Here we go," Shay said. "Micah Park's employment records with Claremont Energy Group." She scrolled. "Nothing really jumping out."

"That would justify arson, you mean," Nick said.

"Right. He started as a VP of Legacy Systems, which is pretty high up, but he stayed there for his entire year or so with the company. No promotions, no demotions, no conduct flags. He just resigned one day."

"Does it say anything about Ranger Energy?" Judy asked. "Claremont said that's where he worked before."

"Not here," Shay said. She typed. "Nothing in ZPD's files on it, either. City records... say CEG acquired it, right when Park got hired. He was the CEO, but it stopped independent operations and closed its facilites less than a year later."

"What did it do before then?" Judy asked.

"Fossil fuels. Coal plants, mostly."

Legacy Systems. "Sounds like Claremont bought out Park's company," Nick said. "Do they run any coal plants? The guy we talked to yesterday couldn't think of any."

Judy checked her own notes. "No. Waste mass, nuclear, some solar."

Patch frowned. "That might make him mad. But arson mad? And why now?"

"He got forced out of the energy business in less than a year," Nick pointed out.

"They must have cut him a really nice deal back when it happened." Shay was typing at blinding speed.

"Or he didn't see it coming," Nick said. "Nobody just stops being a CEO."

"Yeah, look at this." Shay angled her screen so they could all see the Zootopia Business Authority archive. "Low nine figures of stock options, at today's prices, for half a gigawatt's worth of of aging coal stations in Tundratown. That's a whole lot of money for not a lot of power."

"Does he get to keep all of those if he resigns, though?"

"It says here that a lot of it is tied up in litigation, or was. I'm just going by the briefs here, but I think he sued to stop the shutdown."

"We might have to talk to a business lawyer or two." Judy was scribbling in her notebook. "It doesn't make sense that Claremont would buy the whole company if they don't work in coal."

It was a lot of money, even if Park was splitting it a few ways with whatever other ownership Ranger Energy had had. Nick had never had more than a thousand dollars to his name at one time until he'd joined ZPD. he couldn't even imagine triple-digit millions. It might drive poor decision-making.

But Park had only briefly mentioned money when they'd taken him in for questioning. If he really was a multimillionaire, he didn't seem to care.

"I think we need to run this by Claremont again," he said.

"Email," Judy said.

"I might be able to do you better than that, too," Shay said. "If this passed through the city at all, it shouldn't be too hard to find someone involved on that side. Give me an hour to start my filters chewing on this."

The progress felt good, especially after two days of dead end interviews and rushed meetings. If they dug into this quickly enough, Nick thought, they might not have to spend much time in Tundratown after all.

"On its way," Judy said. She slipped out of her chair. "Nick, come help me with requisitions?"

She brushed past him before he could object that their requisition system was all automated, through an intranet website. He followed her out of the cubicle, down the row toward the water cooler. She angled an ear at him.

"Shayler - her mom's not the one dating Fang, is she?"

That little feeling clicked. No wonder Shay had been so quiet at the briefing. "Oh, no."

Judy giggled. "I won't say anything if you don't. Do you think Fang recognizes her?"

They lingered as they came up on the cooler. "We'll let her talk about it first, yeah?"

"Yeah." Judy tapped her toes on the carpet. "I figured that since she and Patch are down here already, we could see if they wanted to have dinner before they went back. We could show them the roof."

Nick got a slow smile. "Like a double date."

"No, I-" Judy paused. "Are they even dating?" She twisted her attention back toward their cubicle. "I know they were spending a lot of time together at the Academy-"

"Who knows?" Nick raised his eyebrows and bent to get on her level. "I won't say anything if you don't."

She composed her twitching nose. "You're okay with it."

"You just want to show off our garden." Nick pulled a cone-shaped cup out of the dispenser.

"Maybe a little." She put her paws on her hips. "The only mammals who have seen it are Mrs. Reagan and my parents. And that time Sharon came up for the weekend."

"Of course. Yeah, let's do it. As long as you don't ask them to spend the night or something." Nick grinned as that got her ears to redden. "That time is kind of important."


	6. Chapter 6

First, of course, they had to finish the day's work.

Bringing Shay's insight on board was paying immediate dividends. In just hours, her combing had turned up a couple names attached to Zootopia's finances who had coordinated CEG's payouts to Ranger. The first banker worked right here, a short trolley ride downtown.

Patch had volunteered to take the lead on it, since he'd placed the calls. Judy went with him, to help wayfind.

Now they were outside Lemming Brothers, in the financial sector. If Judy turned in place, she'd be able to see the facade at Garreline two blocks down.

But this was a different case, she reminded herself, with new priorities. It wouldn't do to get distracted, or to worry about her experiences with bankers as a cop so far. Patch might already know about it.

If he did, though, he wasn't going to bring it up.

"The public filings don't convey the thoroughness, Shay says." He pushed hard against the bigger midscale door to hold it for her. "Claremont Energy paid up for Ranger, but whatever it did after that took it all the way down to the bolts."

The zebra banker here was on the records as coordinating payments for Micah Park's stake, back when it had finally worked its way through the courts last year. ZPD didn't have the legal wherewithal to find out where it had gone after that - it was private money at that point - but maybe he'd have some insight.

He soured when he opened his office door and stepped back to squint down at them. Clearly he'd been expecting someone taller.

" _You're_ from ZPD?"

"That's right. I'm Officer Judy Hopps. This is officer Julian LeCarroll. You're Mr. Griffith?"

"Let's hurry this up, then." He turned and pushed the door closed behind them. "I have meetings in ten minutes."

"Do you mind if we record this interview, Sir?" Patch asked. He was standing on the back of the chair, because Griffith hadn't switched it out for any of the smaller ones along the edge of the room. "For our records."

"I'd rather you didn't," Griffith said. He leaned back in his own chair. The mechanism creaked. "If you want our lawyers present, you'll have to set a new appointment."

"All right." Patch put the little recorder away. Apparently he trusted Judy to do enough diligence with her notepad. "As we talked about on the phone, we're trying to get some background on the Ranger Energy acquisition a few years ago."

"Claremont Energy Group bought the company. That's public record."

"We're hoping for an insider's take," Judy said.

"Can you comment on the rate CEG paid?" Patch asked.

"Higher than average." The frown on Griffith's face had never quite gone away. Now it deepened. "You're not with financial crimes."

"No, Sir." Judy scribbled. "How many mammals did the payouts go to?"

"Shares were liquidated on an individual basis," he said. "I don't have the paperwork to hoof. This was a while ago."

"Was there anything strange in the terms?" Patch asked. "Anything out of place or extreme for an acquisition case?"

"This is all very specific, officers."

"We're just trying to drill down to the reasoning behind the buyouts, Sir."

"Then it sounds like you need to be talking to Claremont's mammals, not Lemming Brothers'," he said. "All we did was organize transfers to private accounts when the payments came through."

"Is that standard procedure in cases like this?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Did anyone seem anxious to close the deal? It's a lot of money."

Griffith stared hard at Patch, and abruptly snorted and leaned forward. "Did Park put you up to this? His friends? There are already channels for this sort of information; Good police officers know that already."

"Sir?"

"I'm not sure what you're after, but I won't get led around about industrial vendettas any further without company lawyers present." He stood and clicked his hooves on his desk. "Or a warrant."

Judy stopped and closed her notebook. She'd hoped it wouldn't come to this. Was this so fraught that even neutral third parties were reluctant to talk about it off the cuff?

Patch had his paws clasped in the small of his back. "Yes, Sir."

"Thank you." The zebra plucked his desk phone from its cradle and started stabbing out a number. Judy guessed they would be dealing with the heavy door themselves. "And tell your chief to send someone from financial crimes next time, please. At least they know what they're doing."

She led Patch back out, in silence until they were through the lobby and into the late afternoon sunshine. She didn't like how subdued he looked.

This was Garreline all over again, except Griffith had a point. They didn't even have the paperwork to lean on this time.

"That didn't take long. Have you ever questioned anyone like that?" he asked, before she could reassure him, and turned to look at the building behind them. "About finances?"

"Yeah, I have," Judy said. She pushed down on the memories of Reed and Baird. She couldn't let that cloud yet another investigation. "The banks like to make things difficult, because half the time they're as dirty as some of the players ZPD is chasing. Don't let it get to you."

"I seem to remember learning that a couple different ways at the academy." Patch grinned. Some of the enthusiasm came back into his tail. "But he gave us something we might be able to go on. 'His friends?' Did Park have any associates at Ranger?"

"I don't know." Judy couldn't recall anything herself. Park was the sole CEO, and they just didn't know how much of a role his board had played in the acquisition yet. When Ranger energy had ceased to be, they and most of the staff had vanished from public ledgers.

"Something else to ask Shay about." Patch shaded his eyes with his tail and looked down the block. "It is this way, right?"

It was a good sign, that he was ready and willing to focus on the next steps they could take - and one Judy supposed she should have seen coming. The things Patch had learned already seemed to be sticking, even with a career difference measured in months. She shouldn't have doubted him.

She nodded, and followed his lead.

\---

Patch and Shay were grateful for the opportunity to spend a little more time downtown, and intrigued with the idea that a couple of concrete cops spent free time tending to a working garden, up above the pavement and buildings.

Judy led them up the steps to the roof, and Nick brought up the rear with the pizzas. It was a good season to entertain guests, actually. The tomatoes and peppers were climbing their trellises.

"Oh, Patch, look at the green beans!" Shay bent to get a better view of the sprouts. "Does your family farm, Judy?"

"They do."

"It's funny, I live in Rainforest, right next to a giant tree, even, and I never would have thought of doing something like this."

"I missed the green, after a while. And it's good food, too."

Nick put the boxes in his arms on the little wrought table in the center of the space. "You want to put some tomatoes on your pizza?"

"They're not ready yet, you know that." Judy pulled the other chair out, indicating their guests should take them both. "Nick is impatient with everything we grow up here."

"So." Nick leaned on the table with one paw and took a bite of his pizza. "How's life on the force?"

"Plenty busy, but never like this," Patch said. He had declined Judy's chair and was standing on the edge of the table itself. "I only know theory of protest management."

"Lucky you," Nick said. "Don't stress over it. Marki has been doing stuff like this forever. She'll make sure none of us get in over our heads."

Patch was wry. "You say that, but I don't even come up to everyone's knees."

"You're not having trouble, I hope." Judy was all too familiar with that. And Rainforest was arguably more dangerous than City Center to begin with.

"The opposite." Patch grinned to soften it. "Shay's got lots of work that keeps her from patrolling sometimes, so I work with everyone. Chief Paratas has been really good about it."

The name was familiar. "Leopard?"

"Jaguar. He makes sure I have what I need, especially after Ficus."

Shay shot him a look. "That gets blown further out of proportion every time it comes up."

"Yeah, it does." Patch put his pizza down and grinned. "A family of tapirs hit a guardrail and went off the road on Ficus, right at the end where it's two hundred feet of air under the bridge."

"Those guards are supposed to prevent that sort of thing," Shay said. "I don't know how they managed to get so far out there."

"ZPD shut down everything, evacuated two blocks under this car that's hanging by half a bumper. But a ladder truck couldn't get the right angle," Patch said. "Helicopters move too much air, and there wasn't room for an airship, so we were going to have to go out ourselves."

"Karst, who's an ocelot, was the smallest one on scene, and even he was too heavy." Shay pointed with a crust. "So Patch talked Paratas into letting him speed up there."

"Tell me there's video," Judy breathed.

"I'll send it to you." Shay nodded. "It's hard for me to watch. He pulled four out of the wreck, and it was shaking like a leaf the whole time."

"It's my job." Patch flicked his tail at her and she caught it. "I was belayed to the cruiser, they got clipped in on the same lines. Everyone makes this huge deal out of it."

"At least it's not going to your head," Judy said. "If Nick did something like that he'd be trying to wring favors out of Bogo for months."

"Oh, come on." Nick held up an indignant claw. "A couple weeks, tops."

"Karst did buy him a drink." Shay shook her head. "Chief wanted him to give clinics, too."

"Now that _is_ blown out of proportion," Patch said. "He said he wanted me to give SWAT a refresher."

"Close enough."

It was a little weird, feeling pride in a co-worker. But Judy really was glad to hear that Patch had not only figured out how to get along in the one of the rougher parts of town, but had started making a name for himself, too.

They learned about Shay's work in IT, and traded tips for breakfast and lunch spots in their respective districts, and laughed about the bits of unique precinct culture that never made it across to the others. Judy showed Shay how the planter boxes up here drained into the existing gutters, to keep the dirt from making a mess of things when it rained, and Nick pointed out downtown landmarks to Patch, who was stretching to see from the table.

Their current work didn't come up again, and Judy was happy to keep it that way. She and Nick didn't like bringing it home.

They'd be returning to it tomorrow, though, so eventually they had to wind down. Nick sorted the leftovers in Judy's fridge while she saw their friends off to the train station. He tilted an ear at her when she slipped back through the door and secured it behind her.

"That went so well," she said. "Shay told me to check when we'd be free so they could repay the favor."

 _"They."_ Nick hitched her up so she could sit in his paws, now that they were alone.

"I think it's _they_ , yeah. Didn't you see them? And they were holding paws when they left." Shay was some smaller species, but Patch had still been reaching over his head to her hoof. "It's good to see them both doing well."

Nick smiled at the mental image. "You felt that, too, huh?"

"Is that bad?" Judy asked. She traced a claw through the fur at his throat, to make up for the lost time. "I know we're all the same pay grade, more or less, but everything we did with Patch while we were at the Academy seemed to help so much."

"As long as we don't let that go to _our_ heads, right?" he asked.

"Hmm." She leaned forward in his arms to kiss him. "Right."

They set their alarms and brushed their teeth and made sure their thermals were ready to go. Nick lay curled around Judy in the dark. She listened to his breathing even out, and followed.

\---

At least this time the sun was up before they got to Tundratown. They waited at Precinct 3 with Marki and the others while the morning shift came through and prepared for work. Judy saw a lot of tired muzzles, and a lot of mammals made doubly bulky by their parkas and armored vests.

Claremont was nearby, as it turned out, meeting with local business and community leaders, but apparently giving the protests at the wall a bit of a berth. She'd been prompt in replying to Judy's mail, and had a tiny window to meet this morning before she checked on the east evaporators.

They topped up their coffee, wished Patch and Shay good luck, and headed out on foot.

Eight ten in the morning, and there were more mammals out here at Claremont's work sites than Judy had seen since the whole thing started. She and Nick were a block distant. traveling roughly parallel to the gatherings, and she could still make out signs, and tents and massed mist of breath.

"How many, do you think?" she asked as they stopped at a red light. A trio of reindeer stepped around them on their way to the pickets.

"I heard one of the officers saying a couple hundred now," Nick said. He leaned forward over the curb, into the morning sun, to squint down the road toward the ZPD barricades. "Apparently someone got a civic gathering permit from City Hall yesterday. They had to close down the roads except for work traffic."

"Bet that made Claremont happy."

She didn't seem to mind, as it turned out. They met her ten minutes later by some annex she'd directed them to, where she was coming out of a service door marked with chemical symbols. The chilly clouds of the evaporators reached all the way down here. Verdegrand was nearby, as always. He nodded hello and turned to talk to a couple of curious residents on the sidewalk. Claremont walked with them up toward the service access in the wall where she had some meeting to make.

"They're being very polite about it so far, all things considered." Claremont raised her voice over the rush and hum of the coils. "Your fellow officers, too. The board thanks you for that. Even some of our clients have called in to say so. I know it's not easy, balancing the needs and the safety of so many mammals."

"Your crews haven't had any trouble getting to work?"

"Nothing your officers can't manage so far. We're done with sealing off and cleaning the damaged sites," she said. "We'll be repairing them as soon as we can."

"Has Park given you any trouble since the meeting down here?"

"No. Everyone in the organization is under strict instructions to report interactions with him to the police."

"We wanted more insight into why he left the company, if you can share it," Judy said. "We've been looking into the Ranger acquisition."

Claremont frowned down at her for a moment while they walked, and then back up at the wall ahead of them. "I'll answer what I can."

"It was shut down, right?" Judy was abbreviating. Claremont didn't need to know exactly who they'd talked to yet, or why. "You stopped its plants after you acquired the company?"

"Yes. They were close to the wall." She pointed off to the west.

"What did Park think?" Nick asked.

"He voted his shares, to keep his plants running. He resigned days after the rest of the board green-lit the decommissioning. It was close, for what it's worth."

"And the antitrust auditors went for that?" Nick asked.

"You've done your homework, Officer Wilde." Claremont nodded. "They did, in the end. Everyone who still wanted their jobs kept them with us. Those customers' utility rates stay the same, and they'll actually drop even more as we bring new capacity online. We have scale to work with that Ranger never could."

That was awfully principled. Judy wasn't a civil engineer, but her research was clear enough: Power hardware was fiercely expensive, even before you overpaid for it. Claremont had to have been operating at - or uncomfortably close to - a loss.

"You paid well above market price," she said. "Can you tell us why?"

"We needed the space - and we wanted the old facilities offline."

Nick didn't even have to act his bad-cop role. "Just because?"

"Fission is now cheaper and cleaner than coal, to say nothing of our late-generation biomass." She waved an expansive paw at the wall that dominated the horizon here. "And addressing atmospheric shifts here is critical."

"Wasn't Park's job to reduce emissions? That's what he was doing at Rainforest, right?"

"And at his own plants. But they were destabilizing the microclimate here, even after we tripled his carbon capture budget. I and the board decided a buyout would be a short-term expense, compared to the long-term task of tuning the wall around old infrastructure."

 _Short-term expense_ was still more than a hundred million dollars. Judy glanced at Nick. Claremont gave a thin smile and indicated the nearest evaporator.

"Profit is a means to an end for this company," she said. "It's been that way even before I started running things myself. Sustainibility and climate security are far more important than short-term returns. It's why we reinvest almost everything, why we absorb fossil fuel operations." Her tail swished. "Why we don't have public shareholders."

And not everyone was going to see eye to eye with that, Judy knew. Not when it meant their own work was getting physically dismantled in the process.

"What happened to Park's shares?"

"He requested we liquidate them. We paid in a lump sum."

"Do you know how much?"

"Close to fifty million dollars."

Square one. Unless the banks started coughing something up, they wouldn't be able to trace the funds any further. They needed to get grinding on another warrant.

"If you have any transaction details at all you can share, we'd like them," Nick said.

"I'll see that you get them."

Judy and Nick left Claremont to meet with a cluster of hard-hatted mammals and retraced their steps. He kept his paws in his pockets and didn't say much until they made it back to the road. His ears flicked when her phone went off.

She dug it out of her pocket and frowned at the ID. "Hi, Shay."

"Are you guys back yet? I might have a lead on Park."

It was better than they were doing, probably. "Where are you?"

"Sensor truck on the north edge of the scene."

"We're on our way." Judy reached out and pointed Nick right at the next intersection.

"That's the nicest little box anyone could get wrapped up in," Nick. "Park's first mistake was not holding onto a controlling interest."

And now they knew why he would stick around, Judy thought. This was a convenient inflection. A distraction that he could use to make a point.

"That's why it's felt like a statement case since it started. You were right."

"Yeah," Nick grumbled. He resettled the high collar of his windbreaker. "If forty million wasn't enough to buy off his principles..."

And most of the mammals out here were certainly treating it as a statement. There was someone on a makeshift dais right across the street from the Claremont workers at the burn site. They had a megaphone and were leading some sort of chant.

_We're still here! We're still here!_

Next to the reindeer with the loudspeaker was a collection of polar bears with a pile of belongings. The adults were in heated discussion with the nearest of the crowd. The kids just looked scared, the way the stuck close and watched around at the noise.

The police, meanwhile, were in careful groups, almost but not quite in a line on their side of the street. Judy didn't recognize any faces. Everyone was in armor, with tasers and batons - with a gathering like this, when they got reports that some mammals were out here to cause trouble, it was just policy - but at least nobody had drawn yet.

Nick was looking a bit grim all the same.

"You hear what the family's saying?"

Judy cocked her ears. "Something about eviction, or being forced to move."

"They must have lived right here."

"It wasn't supposed to be permanent. And the company paid for them to get out."

"I'll bet they didn't arrange anything, though." Nick pointed out another group, this one a family of stoats that looked more lost and intimidated than anything. "Not until they had to. This is probably going to push Tundratown real estate right up to capacity."

It certainly wasn't as clean-cut as the picture of orderly resettlement Claremont had painted for them. Judy was making eye contact with kits who couldn't be more than ten years old, who gave wary glances to her and frightened ones to the taller police nearby every time the noise from the crowd swelled. Voles and shrews were chattering angrily, clustered on the hood and roof of someone's snowcat to stay out from underfoot.

She had never had to leave her home involuntarily, or even on short notice. She didn't know how that felt. But if Nick was right, she could guess. There would be a lot of concerned mammals out here, who felt like they were getting backed against the chilly wall behind them. The ones who were angriest - and Judy could see one or two already - would be the ones with nowhere to go and nothing else to lose.

Precinct 3's field command was under a large tarp, angled so it at least kept off the wind. Shay's mobile office was parked next to a pair of ambulances and the SWAT van. She got the door for them, and for a moment Judy envied the deer and her travel mug full of coffee at the end of the little counter. At least the van was heated and sealed off from the wind. There was another IT staffer from Precinct 3 here, too, in quiet conversation with someone on a headset.

"Doing okay?" Judy asked. She recognized an annotated map of the area on one of Shay's screens, but the rest was arcane stuff.

"Busy." Shay nodded. "How'd it go?"

"We confirmed Claremont nuked Park," Nick said. "Literally. His company couldn't hack it compared to newer tech, so she turned it off."

"She says she's going to send us all the transaction details she can get her paws on," Judy said. "Hopefully this time she means it."

"I'll watch for them." Shay reset her glasses. "Sergeant Marki took Patch south. Maritus has us running backstop while CEG goes door-to-door in the areas that are getting shut down."

"Any mammals forcing the issue?" Nick asked.

"Not yet," Shay said. She pointed to a list on one of her screens. "But you're going to want to see this. Patch asked me yesterday about known associates, after you guys went to the bank. Park has at least one old Ranger co-worker who lives in the shadow."

"That one I want to follow up on, then," Judy said, once Nick had nodded.

"Patch thought you might. You're looking for a Leon Schafer. Polar bear. 72 Mist Edge Drive."

"We'll go meet them, then," Judy said. "Thanks, Shay."

"You bet. Oh." She cut the sip of her coffee off. "Before you leave, you'll want to get your pads on. Maritus' orders."

"Right."

The cold bit again, after just that short stint out of it. Judy pulled her jacket tighter. Their cruiser was one of a dozen parked in ranks one block over.

Nick stared at his heavy vest for a moment before he pulled it on. "Not sure I like this."

"It might keep you warmer," Judy said.

"No, I mean we look like muscle." Nick shook his head. "It feels like the wrong impression to be sending right now."

The scenes at the wall must have been working on him too, then. Judy didn't think he looked all that imposing, compared to the actual steel plates some of the larger officers wore, but the riot kit marked them as part of the group all the same. It might be the only thing the mammals out there saw right now.

She stood on the step up into the passenger seat to check the fastenings on his shoulder plates, and spared a paw for the thick fur of his neck, to telegraph what reassurance she could while their cameras and microphones were rolling. His ears rotated.

And Nick returned the favor, in his own quiet way, when it was her turn. His palms pressed one of her ears between them.

"Cripes, Carrots," he said, quiet enough that the body cams wouldn't pick it up. "You should get some ear warmers or something."

"They mess with my hearing." She'd closed her eyes at the little luxury. His hot nose had found her other ear. "We'll fix it later, don't worry."


	7. Chapter 7

It was almost impossible to see original construction underneath the thick blankets of constant snow that lay over everything this close to the climate wall. The wind blew it around, too, into fantastic drifts and whirls of white. Judy wouldn't have ever considered something like this home sweet home.

A lot of mammals did, though. Judy expected the hard-packed snow of the road that ran in front of these identical large- and mid-scale structures wasn't usually this busy. But now nearly everyone who lived here was moving out. There were whole families leaving, teams of Claremont reps making sure everyone made it out safe - and the odd pair of police officers, making sure nobody caused any trouble.

Marki and Patch were off to one side, watching a group of white-furred foxes stack crates in their vehicle. Patch was perched on a mailbox. He'd pulled his tail in front of him to keep his paws warm; now he raised one and waved them over.

"Shay said you got something on Park from your meeting," he called over the persistent wind.

"Nothing on location," Judy said. "It can wait for now. How's it going?"

"Quiet, so far." Patch jumped back down into the snow when they came up. "At least here. There were a couple calls earlier about tenants who didn't want to go, and someone cited them, but I don't think there have been any arrests yet."

Marki indicated a quiet apartment, with the blinds in its single window drawn. An antelope and a reindeer in cold-weather Claremont uniforms were walking up to the wide front door. "Your show, LeCarroll."

They followed the officials over and waited at the edge of the street, out of the way of a big snowcat that lumbered past, loaded with possessions. Judy heard the faint sound of a doorbell, and then nothing. When the antelope tried again, someone wrenched the door open.

The polar bear was dressed for the cold with a hooded coat, not that he needed it that much. He was stocky and well-built, and had no trouble pushing past the two mammals and their tablets. There was another, even larger bear with him, with a nasty-looking scar over the top of his nose.

Judy sensed Nick and Marki leak into her focus, as they shifted their weight beside her. The sight of four riot-plated cops did bring the bears up short, eventually. They loomed over Patch, in front. He was squarely in their way, in part so he wouldn't get stepped on.

"What do you want?" the first one one asked.

"Just to ask you some questions, Sir," Patch said. His voice was small, compared to the basso polar bear, but it was strong enough. "You're Leon Schafer, right? We're looking for Micah Park."

"Really," Schafer rumbled. "I don't know where he is."

"We understand you worked with him for a while," Patch said. "He's a mammal of interest in-"

"We watch the news," the other bear cut him off. "You can save your spin."

Schafer shot him a glance.

The antelope, now recovered, leaned forward at the other bear's elbow, with little room to maneuver on the narrow walk. "Sir, I need your signature."

Schafer turned, all slow potential, and scribbled with the stylus his companion passed to him. He gave the tablet back and held the pen out - and dropped it into the snow before the Claremont rep could grab it.

"This isn't going to stop because you cross your Ts."

"Mr. Schafer-" Patch tried again. "We need to know where Micah Park is."

"Not my problem." He came down the walk, forcing all of them but Marki to scramble aside, nearly into the deep snow on the yard.

Patch went briefly to all fours to catch up as he started down the hill. "Sir, refusal to assist a police officer-"

The other bear snorted. Steam billowed in the cold air. His eyes flicked - not to Patch, where he'd climbed another retaining wall to get closer, but to Marki. "You really going to arrest us, rat?"

Schafer turned his head. "Everett, leave it."

Judy gritted her teeth. She saw Patch's tail twist and he glanced at her. "A misdemeanor is a citation, Sir."

"Then by all means, get it in the mail." He bent down, right in Patch's face, and jerked a claw at the mailbox on the facade behind him. "You should have a few days before the address disappears, right?"

Judy almost went after them - except Nick's paw was on her shoulder.

"Easy," he murmured. He was watching Marki, who was already on her radio, relaying a description. "I don't think this is the time or place."

She didn't want to _easy_. If they gave ground now, while they still had a chance to defuse something before it started, it was just going to embolden the ones who were clearly getting desperate enough to follow Park's lead and start making statements. Schafer and his friend were headed for the demonstration line, if their clothing was any indication, and chants probably weren't what they had in mind.

But Nick was right. It hadn't taken long for the divisions he'd worried about to come out at all. And if they forced the issue here, it might just make those divisions worse. That was the wrong message to send - to everyone out here.

"Patch?"

"Nice guys," the squirrel said. He exhaled and uncurled his tail.

"The scene detail will keep an eye on them until we can get back and take over," Nick said. He looked at Marki, who was still watching the receding figures, too. "Right?"

She nodded. "We should wrap this up."

\---

Nobody else they watched move out was so confrontational. There was discomfort, and fear, and Judy saw more than a few tears as individuals and pairs and families of mammals packed up under the watchful, sympathetic eye of Claremont's outreach teams. But Schafer's aggressive mindset seemed to be the minority one.

It was a shame it seemed to be the loudest.

When they returned to the site of the protest, hours later, things felt different. Colder, and not because of the air. Precinct 3's police had formed up their line. The crowds had started to get closer to it. And as soon as she checked the main band, Judy started catching regular reports of near-confrontations and agitation.

Marki rallied them at the command post and went to check with the Captain on scene. Shay had her van to herself; the four of them without snow leopard-level cold tolerance crowded inside out of the wind.

"Your tail is full of snowflakes," Shay told her partner, as he sat against the edge of the console. "Don't get it on my keyboards."

But they way she reached out to brush it was pretty telling, Judy thought. She decided she could take advantage of the cramped conditions to tip back against Nick after all. He grinned down at her.

"Schafer was a bust," Patch said. "He was ready to walk away instead of talk." He kicked his legs over the open air. "Sorry, Judy. I feel like I blew it. The assistance line didn't even slow them down."

"No." She shook her head. "Some of these we have to let go sometimes. We still think we know where he is, so we can still watch him. That's enough."

Even if it was about to get harder. All they had to begin with was the hunch that he knew more than he was letting on.

"I haven't gotten any alerts on Park yet," Shay said. She scowled as Patch reached across the keyboard for her coffee - but she let him heft the relatively huge mug and tilt it on the desk to drink, too. "Just a couple of false alarms. But I find it hard to believe he'd just leave this alone after the noise he was making at the meeting, especially with everyone else starting to sound like him."

"So it wasn't just my imagination," Nick said.

"We've been forming up here to defuse little fights all day." Shay nodded. "The protesters took all the ground their permits gave them and kept right on pushing."

Right on cue, the door cracked and chill wind rushed in to fill the back of the van. Marki had a carbine clipped to her back and a hard-sided case in her paws.

"Maritus wants us watching while they get Claremont's crews out."

She stood back so they could step down out of the van. Patch reluctantly surrendered his coffee and closed the door behind them.

Marki's box held pepperball pistols they were clearly supposed to trade for their tasers. Judy hadn't used one since her last qualification check. Nick frowned at his and checked the CO2 charge.

"This was his idea?"

"Taser barbs aren't reliable through thick clothing," Marki said.

The problem was pepper rounds were less precise, or at least more prone to collateral effects. Their contents could splash and spray past an intended target. Judy trusted her aim - she worked hard at it - but she'd rather not test it tonight. She followed Nick's lead, safed her pistol and clicked it into its holster.

"Remember what you're here for." Marki saw their hesitation. She was watching Nick. "Keep your heads, call for backup if you need it."

Nick nodded.

"I'll be on that roof." She pointed to the nearest warehouse, right across the street from the evaporators. She held out a set of small-scale field glasses between two fingers. "LeCarroll, can you get to the one opposite?"

Patch took them and craned to look. "Not a problem."

Judy and Nick were left to go straight down the middle, toward the chainlink on the other side of the road where the police had started to create space.

There was no margin anymore. There was an unmistakable front line of rhinos and polar bears now, holding batons across their chests, staring out - or down - at raucous demonstrators who were close enough to reach out and touch their armor. Behind them, Judy watched the work crew start a fast, orderly walk away from the site and toward a bus that was waiting at the edge of the cordoned street, at the corner of Marki's building. It wouldn't be able to get any closer, thanks to the road shutdown.

"In position," Patch radioed. Judy could make him out in the distance, anchored to the side of a fire escape with a daisy chain from his harness. He was already scanning the crowd.

Judy started, too, as the workers got closer. They didn't know what they were expecting or even watching for, really. None of the mammals out here looked quite ready to try to push on the line, even as their attention swelled and shifted to follow the little exodus. She didn't see any hoods, or any familiar faces. The chanting was loud, drowning out the repeated cautions from the police to stay back from the line.

But the workers arrived at the bus without incident. They lined up to climb aboard-

And one of the last ones in the group turned to trade angry words with a moose on the other side of the police line. Focus shifted like a physical thing. There as a flurry of motion and the police at the end gave a little ground, to keep the crowd in front of them. It got even louder. Someone got on a megaphone and called for calm and dispersal.

Judy turned to keep an eye on the police line behind them. "Sergeant-"

"Steady," Marki said.

"I see a polar bear in a hood," Patch sent. "Hopps, he's closer to the wall than the bus, on the west side. I think there's a reindeer with him."

The west side. The side that had moved the most to deal with the crowd. Judy headed that way anyway, with Nick right beside her. From her height, it was a forest of knees and waists, of padded ZPD blue and the hooves and paws and tails of all sorts of mammals, churning the snow into slush. They were all watching the commotion down by the bus.

But deeper in, there were a pawful that weren't. They were easier to spot for it, actually, even if most of them were wearing hoods and scarves that obscured their faces. And near the edge, almost to the freshly repaired fences around Claremont's hardware, Judy caught glimpses of a polar bear and a vaguely familiar set of antlers.

"Got them."

"Don't push this, Carrots," Nick said, off the radio.

"Yeah." Judy moved anyway, a bit south, to keep them in her view. Their marks were working against the rest of the crowd now - toward the fence.

"I see three more looking that way," Patch said. "Be careful - one of them's behind you."

Park wouldn't come back, would he? This had to be a spur of the moment thing. He wouldn't have been able to get close, not unless there was something distracting everyone else at the same time.

Or unless he had a lot of help out here.

Judy dimly heard Marki on the radio, relaying the alert. But she was just one of several. There was a shout behind them, too, and the police line contracted further to maintain its hold. The appeals for calm on the PA had shifted to warnings.

And the polar bear turned and stared right at her. It was Schafer, all right, and a face Judy already knew well.

"It's Park."

And it was a knife edge - if they didn't move to shut these mammals down, it could get a lot worse. If even one of them had weapons of their own - if just one officer felt pressured enough to use their sidearm-

Judy reached up and rapped on the armored knee beside her. When had they become part of the outer line? They were too small to be effective here. A lion looked down at her.

"Agitators," she called over the noise, and pointed. "They're pushing that way, toward the scene."

The lion looked. "Wentz!" She turned to get her partner's attention. "They're going to hit the wall again!"

There was no time. The police line kept compressing around the frayed nerves at the other end, the rest of the crowd was getting close to a mindless rhythm of its own, and the next thing Judy knew it was her, Nick and these two Precinct 3 cops cut off from their backup, charged with stopping who knew how many mammals. Judy had lost track of Park, because she now had more immediate problems - the nearest someone was now pushing through the crowd.

Wentz, at least, had a voice to match his elephantine bulk.

"Police! _Let us through!_ "

Most everyone scrambled, clearing enough space that Judy was able to dart through and get closer. But the mammal - some kind of deer, it looked like, with stubby antlers and a scarf - was too far ahead. That hood would make pepper rounds next to useless, unless he was facing her.

"You in the hood! _Stop!_ "

He didn't, of course. And there was a cylinder of something in his hooves. The lion beside Judy cursed again and sped up. Judy dodged right, around a slow-moving llama, and realized too late that their mark had backup of his own.

The bear was twenty times her mass, coming straight at her, and his sharp eyes showed he had no intention of getting out of the way. His knee was the perfect height to smash into her nose, and already swinging forward with the speed and weight of purpose.

Nick blurred between them from out of nowhere and Judy heard it crack against his back plate, hard enough to shove both of them to the snowy ground and send her breath rushing out. The bear rumbled something sharp, maybe in surprise or pain.

He was coming back.

"Nick!"

He wasn't moving - stunned, or worse.

"Marki!" Her earpiece was gone - knocked loose in the fall. "Marki, Nick took a hit."

Nothing. It fell to her.

The draw was hard, with Nick's weight on top of her. It was harder still to aim one-pawed as an enormous foot came down just inches from her ears in the snow and shook the world.

Her snap shot was wide. It skimmed off the bear's thick parka and only the fringe of the noxious payload got in his craggy face. He reared back, away from the deterrent, but his sharp eyes were still unobstructed and he was still looking down at her.

"Stop!"

This time Judy saw a pepper round plume dead center on his chest - and this time the heavier caliber was far more effective. His grunt was brief and choked, and he staggered out of Judy's vision.

"Nick!"

He pushed himself up, clearly in pain, but still present enough to accept her help as they got back to their feet.

Wentz had mostly pinned the hacking bear to the ground with his even larger frame and was yelling at everyone to back up. His partner had caught their original perp, hard enough to send his spray can spinning away just a few letters into his message. Mammals were scattering, away from the police pounding up to reinforce and the white plumes of what looked like tear gas on the other side of the street.

Judy coughed and fumbled for her unseated earpiece. "Patch, where's Park?"

"He backed off. We lost him in the scramble. I last saw him going east."

Her breath hissed and clouded as she tried to see over the crush, to no avail.

Nick had his paws on her shoulders. "Judy-"

"I'm fine." She toggled again. "Marki, it's shots fired. We got two. I don't know how many more there are."

"Stay where you are." She took it well. Of course, Judy realized - she must have been the second shooter. "Secure them."

"Roger." Now she put her paw out to meet Nick's.

"I'm okay, too." He was ducking to look her in the eye. "Just winded."

It was all too familiar, to have to pull away from him for long enough to make the scene safe. But they knew how it worked now. They did their jobs. Precinct 3's officers were already hauling their detainees to unsteady feet, to march them to the edge of the road for processing. Judy pushed her gun back into its holster and followed.

The rest of the police had reformed their line, but after that first tangle the crowds were giving them a wide berth. The dispersal gas probably helped. There was no real risk of it shifting, not with the strong winds from the wall pushing it north. But by the same token, they wouldn't have deployed it lightly. It was doing a good job of making room on the east edge of the scene, at least. Marki would have moved to the other end of her roof.

And the fences around the evaporators were still intact.

It was about as good a result as they could have hoped for, but Judy was already fighting the hollow feeling in her gut at how they'd had to engage at all. And over what? Spray paint? The odds of finding a nonviolent solution to confrontation tended to slim when you had to launch tear gas at the mammals you were supposed to be protecting.

And none of them were going to want to accept that it was only a few among them who had forced things. The police would have a hard time winding down, too, for that matter. Critical thinking was one of the first things to go when the shooting started. Judy could still feel the blood roaring around in her ears, now that the action was over.

Nick stayed close beside her while they saw the bear and his streaming eyes and nose loaded into the back of a ZPD cruiser. The erstwhile graffitti artist got another. Judy reached down and paused her camera. It was going to be a long night.

\---

The interviewer wasn't supposed to be a familiar face. The idea was to get an impartial, honest take on weapons-fire situations, so ZPD could compare an officer's comments with the official record and whatever came of questioning the suspects.

It would be mostly her report this time, because Judy wasn't sure her cameras would show much. Pepper guns didn't have them built in like their tasers, and Nick had jumped in front of her body cam when he'd taken that hit for her. She hoped he hadn't made a mistake doing that.

And the anonymity wasn't putting Judy at ease this time. Even after the interview concluded and the pig who'd taken her statements left with her recorder, the whole station felt different and unfamiliar. Judy had to stand outside the door for a moment to get her bearings and make sure she really was headed toward the ready room.

She cleaned the slush and mud off her pads, and then she had nothing else to do but wait in the unfamiliar lobby and watch the night shift blur around her. Nick would be back from the medical office sometime soon.

The others beat him here.

"Hopps."

"Sergeant?"

Shay sat on the nearest bench so she would be closer to eye level with Patch. She had a smartphone in each hoof. Marki kept her feet.

"You and Wilde all right?"

"I think so." Marki's gun was gone. Locked away, probably, now that the action was over. At least she'd had it when it counted. "Thanks for stopping him."

Nick finally appeared, carrying his own armor out of the hallway on the opposite side of the lobby. He joined them and they held a miniature conference right there.

"Not even bruised," he said to her paw on his wrist.

"Yet."

"I'm okay."

'You're _lucky_ ," Judy corrected.

"Park and Schafer cleared out right after the tear gas," Patch said. His ears were back. "We don't know where to."

It wasn't ideal, but it was still better than giving him free reign around the scene. If there was any upside at all to the fresh tension out there right now, it was that he would be risking a lot more scrutiny to try again.

"And ZPD's newest friends?" Nick asked.

"The first one didn't live in the housing we just cleared," Shay said, reading from her service phone. "His address is on the other side of Tundratown." She winced. "But the bear was Everett."

"They don't waste any time, Precinct 3 cops," Nick said. "I'll bet his nose is still dripping."

Judy hadn't really processed that, even with the scar she'd seen on his muzzle. It had all blurred by so quickly. And she didn't like what this was going to do to Nick, or to Patch. They had both focused up, fast.

Shay looked up and grimaced. "Either way, he says he didn't see either of you coming."

"Yeah, okay," Nick muttered.

"How much did your camera get?" Patch asked.

"I don't know yet," Judy said. "Maybe enough. Maybe it's unusuable."

"Do they know Park?" Marki asked. "We need to hold them if we can."

Shay stacked the phones and went to two thumbs. "They didn't say. At least not here. If it was Everett, that's only two degrees of separation. I'd say it's likely."

"Get the full transcripts as soon as they're in the system," Marki said. "Every bit of data you can. Work on them tomorrow."

"Yes, Ma'am."


	8. Chapter 8

The adrenaline gave straight to exhaustion. Judy had dozed against the edge of her seat as Nick got them back downtown, and against Nick himself while they took the train home. Neither of them had cared what that looked like. They barely had time to lock the doors at Judy's apartment and strip everything before sleep claimed them. She fell to it before he did, wrapped tight around his arms like she might drift away otherwise.

And now her stupid alarm was scratching against the inside of Nick's skull again. She wriggled against him to reach over and turn it off.

It couldn't possibly be tomorrow already. He stared at his watch.

7 AM. She'd actually let them sleep in. Nick sighed.

"Thanks, sweetheart."

"You needed it." Nick felt her paws slide against the fur of his chest. "Are you okay?"

"You're asking me right now?" He ran inventory. Still tired, still stressed, but his back felt better than he expected.

At least until he moved. Nick made to sit up and froze at the wave of pain that rolled over him. Judy heard the quiet noise of distress and raised her head.

"Oh, Nick."

_"I'm okay,"_ he lied through bared teeth. "Just- give me a second."

But Judy switched on the bedside lights and helped him roll over.

"Are you sure you didn't crack something?"

"The doc down there said I wasn't too banged up," Nick said. "But I guess he did warn me about bruising."

Her paws on his shoulders made his breath hitch. Judy stopped and drew back.

"It's okay, Carrots." Nick turned his head so he could see her concern. "Keep going."

Judy was a slight weight with soft paws, and it was still enough to hurt. But it was a good kind of hurt, the kind that would let him shrug it off and get back to work when she was done. Nick focused on taking full breaths and let her drive the soreness away, bit by bit.

"Tonight we're going to your place," she said. "Your bed is softer." Her voice wobbled, and she took a moment to steady herself. "You shouldn't have had to do this, Nick."

Nick twisted around to get up - it was easier this time - and pulled Judy into his lap. She reached around his waist to keep working. He held her close.

"I'm okay. That's what matters." He didn't need to tell her that him being the one sore beat the alternative. He pushed his nose against her droopy ears. "And I want to make sure you are, too."

"I don't remember if I even had time to warn him." She squeezed his injuries with infinite care, by way of explanation. Her ears dragged. "And I know how that sounds. I know how that looked to Patch. But I had to make it stop. We didn't know, not until after-"

Nick tightened up his hug. Neither of them could have seen this coming. There was no blame to place, not when they were just reacting according to training. Judy had used her nonlethal tools only a pawful of times, and never in a situation as tense as this one had been.

But she was smart enough to know there was something ominous about it, and that was all Nick could ask for. He hoped he was getting that across. He never wanted Judy to have to weigh more permanent decisions, like the ones he'd stumbled into himself. They'd both already learned about that the hard way.

And now they had the chance - or maybe it was better to call it the _huge responsibility_ \- to see that Patch and Shay learned, too. As far as Nick was concerned, that made it all the more important to be careful and use that hindsight. Last night had been a reminder of the stakes they'd pulled their friends into. Now they needed to heed it.

"I love you," he said against her forehead. "And I love that you know how risky we are sometimes."

Judy didn't quite laugh against him. He felt her breath huff out, and her arms tighten around his sore back. "We're a bad example, I think is what Chief says."

"At least we know it," he said. "I'll be a walking exhibit A for how not to break up a fight for the next few days. We'll show Patch how it's done. And Shay. Right?"

"Right."

"Thanks for the massage, sweetheart."

"I knew you needed it."

She let him go eventually, to set coffee brewing and to hunt down the uniform she'd left in its pile the night before. That made her scowl.

Nick watched her work, and was reassured. Judy was smart, and strong, and he knew even the whirlwind that tested the riskiest of their reactions wouldn't ding her focus for long.

"Did they get in touch yet?"

"No." Nick checked his phone and tucked it in his pocket. "Claremont wants to meet this afternoon, though."

"Okay." She was straightening her vest. The badge gleamed in its corner, clean and spotless as ever. "I'd make us breakfast, but I'm out of everything but onions."

"Mmm." He made room for her where she pushed up against his paws on the edge of the bed. Their coffee would take a minute longer. "There are donuts at work."

Judy sighed and tilted her head at him. Her nose twitched, across from his. "You keep leaning on those and we're going to have to hit the gym more."

"Yeah." Nick kept his paws low, skating them over her defined hips. "But I don't really see a downside."

It got her to smile. Nick would take it.

\---

Their colleagues made the third train of the morning and they all crowded into Nick and Judy's cubicle again, with enough coffee and donuts to keep them at it for a while.

Patch didn't seem quite as comfortable without the harness strapped over his uniform, or maybe that was just residual from last night. But he and Shay seemed happy to be out of the cold weather.

"There's not a whole lot of new information in the full transcripts," she said. "These two don't have direct contact with Park that we can see."

"Plenty of indirect contact," Nick said. The graffitti was probably indicator of that, and the way the whole group of agitators had moved and reacted to stymie the police as much as they could. But without more concrete evidence, without statements from questioning that tied the motive and the acts together better, it wouldn't hold up for long. "We just can't prove it."

"I know." Shay glanced at her partner. "The DA cleared us to bring misdemeanor charges on the deer for the paint, so he's not going anywhere. But Everett- there's less to go on."

Across from him, Judy blinked. "He rammed Nick. It would have been me. That's texbook assault."

"Nothing caught it," Shay said. "Neither of your cameras. There's nothing municipal with the right angle. Patch saw, and he said so, but that's it."

Her ears swayed as shook her head. "That's still three cops and a medical report. That's not enough?"

"It probably would be before they loosened the atavism laws," Shay said. She seemed to realize she was watching Nick's sharp teeth and winced in apology. "Especially with how he was talking to Patch earlier. But now a judge could set bail, if his defender argues well enough that it wasn't targeted."

Judy was closed down on the other side of the cubicle. Nick rolled his chair back far enough to at least look at her more easily. He would have reached for her, but their companions were just as close, and didn't seem quite at ease themeslves. Shay was wary.

But Judy seemed to know it, too. She pushed her coffee away and mustered a little smile. "Sorry, guys. Live fire- It keys you up. I thought I was over it, but sometimes it takes time."

"We weren't the ones down there," Patch said. He was looking between all of them. "It's fine."

"Nick." Judy surprised him by reaching over for his paw, before he could. He pulled his ears forward. "See? Look at him. It's not healthy for either of us."

"That might just be a guy thing," Shay said.

"I told you." Patch flicked his tail. "Now you can't blame me for trying."

That was that, then, and at least it did a good job of defusing things. Nick decided he could hold on to his partner's paw for a moment longer after all.

"I want to get the tech team started on full checks into Schafer and Everett," Judy said. "That deer, too. Nobody throws in against that kind of police presence without a good reason, or a lot of money."

"I can send them groundwork," Shay said.

"Nick, has Claremont issued anything on the arrests yet?"

There was nothing in his inbox, actually, aside from the standard email that went out after a major action that garnered media attention, reminding everyone to refer inquiries and contacts through to the press liaisons. He followed some of the links and grimaced at the headlines.

_Tear Gas Sharpens Protests In Tundratown_

_Police Arrest Three Demonstrators In Cold Night Of Clashes_

And, disturbingly, from Horizon Caller-

_Claremont, Police Crack Down_

"Not yet. Have you seen this? She might be busy doing damage control."

She hadn't, if her ears were anything to go by. Judy pushed her chair over in what little free space there was to read over his shoulder. The Tundratown affiliate onscreen was running footage of the wall-blown tear gas and departing cruisers. The super read _ZPD Corrals Evicted Demonstrators_.

" _Evicted?_ That's great," she muttered. "Woodward probably hasn't slept yet."

"Does he ever?" Nick asked.

But instead of quoting Precinct 1's hypercaffeinated chipmunk liaison the story carried several lines from Tundratown's press officer. And it seemed heavy-pawed. Claremont's own security teams had made a very public point of leaving control of the protest zones to police while the investigation was underway. And ZPD took crowd control and pepper rounds as seriously as it did live fire. No one was going to think that reading this piece.

"Not one word about how we caught another escalation in the act," Judy said. She gave up reading and pushed away. "We have a duty to stop mammals who are trying to make this violent. They always forget to mention that."

Patch looked over at the screen. He was uncomfortable. "I don't know anyone who takes _Horizon_ seriously."

"Ever been down to the old quarter in Meadowlands?" Nick asked. "Tundratown, too. It gets a lot of play." No one was committing libel, and anyone down there had the right to read what they wanted and form their own opinions. But Judy was right. Coverage like this tended to whip up sentiment, and it was one of the things they just had to deal with.

"So we'll be hearing more like this the longer the protests keep up," Patch said.

"Don't let it get to you," Nick said, for everyone's benefit. "What the headlines say isn't our problem, not when mammals are out there trying to burn things down. Focus on what you can fix."

\---

The problem was they were almost out of loose ends already. Park had vanished. Their slogan-painting deer was a rough character with no apparent connections. He'd spilled something about cash payments, but unless they had a way to start tracing those it was as good as a dead end.

Shay was left working a hunch. Their banker at Lemming Brothers wasn't going to answer his phone for them anymore, but a corporate auditor had put them in touch with an engineer who had watched the whole acquisition, from the Ranger side. He'd agreed to chat that evening, as long as they came to him.

Patch had volunteered to take the lead on it, since he'd placed the calls. Nick and Judy both went with him, not that he needed much help wayfinding on the main streets anymore.

"Is this the right place?" Judy craned up at the building. It was a converted warehouse. "He said 308? I'm not doubting you..."

"No, he did," Patch said. "Maybe he just didn't want police at home." The weird setting didn't seem to bother him. He pushed through the small-scale doors, while they took the main ones.

It was a trendy co-working space, with high ceilings and a bunch of natural light from the original windows. Most of the clientele was hunched over laptops. Nick even saw a couple giraffes in virtual reality headsets swaying in the corner.

Their wolf was in a tiny booth off to one side by the water features, tapping away on his own computer. He blinked in surprise when they climbed onto the seats opposite to greet him and introduce themselves.

"Oh. Hi, officers." He reached a paw across the table to shake. He had a wry grin. "Sorry about the seats. Want to find a better table?"

Nick was okay, and Judy would make it work, but Patch was standing on the butcherblock desk. He waved it away.

"That's all right, sir."

"Thanks for taking the time to meet with us," Judy said. She placed her recorder on the table. "Are you willing to talk about some of this on the record?"

He shrugged. "I blogged about it a while back. Might as well do it again. My memory's not great, but I'll tell you what I can. What's this about?"

"Just trying to wrap our heads around some corporate law." Patch didn't miss a beat. "It's not usually our job."

"You're Adam Davis?" Judy asked. "Formerly of Ranger Energy?"

"That's right."

"What was your role there?"

"Code." Davis pointed at his computer. "They hired me while I was still in college. I built programs the materials mammals used - for making better smog filters."

"We're trying to learn more about how and why Ranger got shut down," Patch said. "Those court filings have all the numbers, but none of the nuance."

"That's a polite term for it." He grinned. "I can't read legalese that well, but even I knew it was brutal."

Patch twitched toward them, just briefly, before he mastered his excitement. This was more like it. "How so?"

Davis leaned back and scratched behind one of his ears. "Well, it came out of the blue, especially since they gave us a bunch of resources and budget to keep working on it at first. The engineers were about two percent off of emissions parity with biomass at the end of it, which anyone will tell you is tough to do with a coal-fired plant."

Nick was taking him at his word on that, but he didn't have to let it show. He nodded along. "And Claremont just shut the whole thing down?"

"Like flicking a switch," Davis said. He tapped a claw on the table. "They spun up that push to lower emissions across the company in like a week. Coal was still the worst offender, so it was first to go."

"Were you familiar with Ranger's leadership at all?"

"I worked in IT, so not really. We were in a different building and everything. Our manager Fred was with us, but I only saw the CEO at the staff meetings."

"What was he like then?"

"Mr. Park?" Davis shrugged. "Busy guy, I think. He was committed. Always had something going on. But I guess it fizzled out at the end - he had just dead, dead eyes at that last meeting."

Nick watched Patch's ears flatten, and had to hide a wince of his own. That was a new wrinkle. He was willing to bet Park hadn't had much warning, if any.

"Oh," Patch said. "Did he say anything to the staff?"

"A bit," Davis said. "Nothing polite, either. It might have been because he inherited the company. I assume he knew more than we did, but I think he was still angry to see it go."

No, _that_ was the wrinkle. A whole career, a life's work, cancelled on principle? Claremont hadn't said anything about that.

"What about you?" Judy asked. She couldn't stop her nose twitching, but she was careful to keep the fierce interest out of her voice. It wouldn't do to let that show up on the recording. "No ill will?"

Davis offered a flat chuckle. "I won't lie, it was a rough couple of weeks. I thought about taking the IT job Claremont offered me, but I do apps now and still make more money than I did at Ranger. It's a change of pace."

"Right." Patch was thinking the same thing. Nick didn't know if he or Davis even noticed, but his tail had gone still that whole time. Only now was it starting back up. "I think that helps with a couple things, Mr. Davis. Thanks for your time."

And except for his tail, Patch held it until they were pushing through the front doors again.

"There's your motive," he muttered. "Claremont didn't tell you guys any of that, did she?"

"No, she didn't," Judy said. She dug for her phone. "And Nick was worried about it, too."

It had sounded a bit too perfect last time they heard it. And it still made no sense to hold onto a nugget like that. It wasn't like Claremont was going to avoid the bad press on this one. Nick had already seen the fire headlines doing the rounds, and if the crowds kept up at the wall - and ZPD had to keep defusing situations like they had last night - it was just going to get worse.

"Told you."

Judy rolled her eyes, and tried to keep the misplaced amusement from tugging at her muzzle. "I guess so. And I know where we're going next, too."


	9. Chapter 9

Verdegrand gave them the address for the Pinnacle Building, where Claremont had a stack of executive offices and boardrooms at the upper floors. They took the long way around when they made it down to the city's business core, to stay clear of the picket signs that had appeared on street level.

"Did anyone see anything about road permits in the system this morning?" Patch asked.

Shay scowled at where he'd climed the back of the seat to peer out the windows. "Put your seatbelt back on."

"We should have expected this wouldn't stay in Tundratown," Judy said. She pulled the pawset from the dash to call it in.

Verdegrand triggered the garage doors for them and swiped them through to the lower atrium. The elevator was all brushed steel and very smooth. It whisked them to the 40th floor with such precision that Nick didn't even notice the car stop.

"Claremont will want to speak with you as soon as she can." Verdegrand said as they filed out. "I think her meeting's almost done. If you'll wait here, I'll see if she has time to talk in her office."

He left them in the lobby. It was a nice one, even as corporate lobbies went, done up in the same wood and metal tones they'd seen at Claremont's home up north. There were video screens on one wall, scrolling shots of the climate wall in full operation - sans any protesters - and various images of the Zootopia skyline. A mouse and a leopard were working at desks on one end.

"Just take notes for now," Judy told their friends. "I'll introduce you if we have the time, but this is probably going to be a working meeting."

"Not a problem." Patch glanced at his partner. "I hear Claremont's pretty paws-on."

"That's right." Nick looked over. "And that kind of worries me, this time."

One of the double doors at the end of the room opened. Verdegrand beckoned to them and closed it behind them as he left on some errand.

Claremont was by her floor-to-ceiling office windows, one paw on the frame beside her, her thin tail lashing from side to side. She turned as the door closed.

"Welcome to headquarters, officers." She started around the desk.

"Good morning, Ma'am." Judy tilted an ear. "This is Officer LeCarroll, and Officer Shayler. They're working with us on the Park investigation."

She nodded hello. "I have about 20 minutes before meetings start again. Can you share any progress?"

"We stopped some vandalism at the arson site last night." Judy left out the rest.

"I read the reports," Claremont said. "Thank you for your quick work."

"And we might be getting closer to a motive," Nick said. "But a lot of it keeps coming back to your history with Park."

"That's why we're here, Ma'am," Judy said. She pulled her notebook off her belt and leafed through it. "We talked to a source today who said Ranger Energy shut down in a week. Is that accurate?"

"Five days, not counting the cooldown on the furnaces."

_Engineers._ "Park was the CEO," Nick said. He had to fight not to roll his eyes just a little bit as Claremont reacted to his tone. "And he inherited the company? Ma'am, that might be the makings of a grudge."

"Those are the sort of details that can help us predict his behavior," Judy said. She eyed Nick. The message was probably sent. "We asked about this at our second meeting."

"I've answered your questions as specifically as I can, officers."

Nick fought to keep his ears up, at least for Judy's sake. The implication there, of course, was that they weren't asking the right questions.

"Then what really happened to his company?" Judy asked. "We need the details this time."

"We liquidated it, when it became clear it wouldn't meet its emissions targets."

"It was within percentage points," Shay said. "And getting closer."

"The wall runs on hundredths of percentage points." She held out a placatory paw at Judy's imaptient breath and tapped at her keyboard. A large screen on the wall flickered to life and displayed whole pages of line items. "And we have obligations to meet climate thresholds."

Judy nodded along at the familiar line. "And he didn't speak out about this at all? Not once?"

"Such a conversation would be in our records," Claremont pointed out. "We would have passed them on."

Judy gave her that one. "How did Park fail to meet your obligations, then?"

"He had access to all our resources, and free reign to experiment and task staff. Even with all the time we gave him, his plants were responsible for too much pollution. I - and my board - had to weigh one reindeer dragging his hooves against the stability of the entire city."

Nick tilted his head and decided not to point out that Park was making the city plenty unstable now, too. "He sued to stop it, didn't he?"

Her nod came out more like a shrug. It was in the ears. "And lost."

Nick had suspected from their first meetings, but now he was sure of it: This was all just a numbers game to her, pure and simple. The business world was simply cutthroat like that sometimes, from the sidewalk pawpsicle cooler all the way up to the boardrooms. Claremont might not have even registered the hasty suit as aggression, or her own actions as provocative. It was merely part of the process.

And hostile wasn't the right word - Ranger Energy had suffered a ruthless, _principled_ takeover. But it was also transparently legal, as far as the paperwork was concerned. There was something to be said for expensive business lawyers.

The door clicked behind them.

"Developments, Ma'am, Officers," Verdegrand said. He hadn't knocked.

Nick got a feeling. And when the legal options were all used up-

"My team tells me Park might be on the scene outside."

Yep. Various ears flicked and sharpened the news. Nick soured as he watched Claremont's pupils dilate a touch, all the way from over here. That was exactly what they needed.

The elk tapped at a tablet and a screen on the office wall started playing security feeds from the front entrance. They got their first good look at what had graduated from a gathering to a modest crowd.

They were clustered on the sidewalk opposite the building, forcing passersby to either endure a gauntlet of angry slogans and accusations or cross to the other side to avoid them. They weren't blocking traffic yet - probably because it was still picking up this time of day.

But there was a figure at the center of the group with his back was to the cameras, where he was gesturing and pacing in front of the onlookers. His antlers were getting familiar. Judy saw it, too.

"Right where we don't want you," she muttered.

Shay, at least, was already hailing dispatch. Nick watched Judy stop her paws, halfway to her own radio.

"We can watch him." Verdegrand said. "I can put a detail on him for as long as he's here."

"No." Nick was sympathetic. "ZPD will have to deal with this. And if he's going to force our paws, we have to wait for him do it."

"You're giving him room." The word sounded like it tasted bad on Claremont's tongue.

Defusing this would be about public perception as much as action, much as Nick hated the maneuvering. But this was hard to read as anything but intentional escalation. Whatever ZPD had to do down here, it needed to do carefully. The media had enough fodder with the engagement from last night. Had it really been just last night?

"Park is one citation away from getting arrested again, Ma'am," Judy said. "And he knows it. If he so much as crosses the street, we'll be ready."

Nick nodded. "But until then, as long as he doesn't break any laws, we can't stop him from chanting himself hoarse."

She seemed to accept that, surprisingly enough. "Verdegrand, get the word out to everyone. Have them use the secondary entrances. Let's not give Park any easy targets after what happened in Tundratown."

"Yes, Ma'am." He slipped out the door behind them again.

Claremont watched after him, then set about clearing monitors. "He's put us in a difficult position, the way he's shortened our timetable."

"You and us both, Ma'am."

Claremont regarded him with something like amusement. "We're building out the new chiller. The whole thing."

Nick stared. At least she was taking the idea of full disclosure to heart. "That's a thousand mammals."

"Close to it. As soon as they're all moved out we'll be prepping the build sites."

"Do they know?" Judy demanded. "Does Park know that?"

"The polls came through. We're making the announcement tomorrow. There's a summit planned for next week at the Palm Resort. I'll be speaking to stakeholders, and the public."

A lot of that rolled right over Nick without sinking in. This felt like escalation. No - this felt like _bait_. There had been the promise of this eventual expansion, unsaid during the protests so far. But it had been hypothetical, or at least far enough in the future that anyone against it probably felt like they had a chance to change the outcome.

Now - they would feel just as cornered as Claremont did, except they weren't likely to be as calculated about how they fought out of it.

Nick wondered if Claremont was ready for that, or if it was just business at usual at her speed. He never thought he'd be sympathizing with Park.

"No one down there is going to take this news well," Nick said. "We're not your legal counsel, Ma'am-"

That almost-smirk flashed on Claremont's face again. "No, you're not."

Nick felt his ears flickering, but he ground on. "-but this could lead to more sabotage attempts. And the protest on the street here will be as permanent as the one in Tundratown."

"That's their perogative," Claremont said. "You said so yourself. But this is our mandate. The residents of this city - maybe even some of those down there - empowered us to make these decisions when they agreed to our conditions on living near the climate wall. They weren't easy decisions to make. But with damage Park has already done, they've become necessary."

"Yes, Ma'am," Judy said, and tried again. "As long as you're aware that this is likely to provoke him. We'll do everything we can to shut him down if he tries anything, but there are no guarantees."

"There is one," Claremont said. "Without our climate controls, half the city becomes uninhabitable for the mammals who live there - and we can't let a pawful of them hold that hostage with threats." Her ears were flat, as if the chanting down on the street was making it all the way up here, past the soundproofing. "I understand this is putting a lot of pressure on you and the rest of ZPD. I do. But thanks to Park's meddling we don't have time to take small steps anymore."

\---

It seemed louder down here than it had in Tundratown, probably thanks to the facades all around them and the lack of blower hum in the distance. Or maybe the unrest was just getting worse. They watched the odd mammal break out of the group and wander into the street when there wasn't traffic in the way. ZPD hadn't started its warnings yet, but as soon as someone nearly got run over, or accidentally kicked over one of the smaller vehicles, Nick knew they'd separate peaceful demonstration from obstruction, for the crowd's own safety.

"Do you think she really is out of time?" Judy asked.

She was scowling at some of the paw-painted signs, from where they were still seating their heavier armor in the backline. Shay was on the circuit, from the sensor van they'd brought down. Marki had taken Patch to overwatch.

"As opposed to, what, proving a point?" Nick shook his head. "I don't think she enjoys this, the looking down on what's happening from 40 floors up."

He didn't know if there was a better way, though. He was a cop, not an industrialist. But if Claremont was telling the truth about needing the capacity, it made a certain amount of objective, logical sense to finish the work quickly. Maybe this was the best possible outcome - a thousand displaced, some of them angrily, but for the sake of the whole city.

But _efficient_ could still mean _dangerous_ , and this was all the evidence Nick needed.

ZPD was here to keep short tempers and illegal action from doing any damage. The training, the context - it all suggested this was the right thing to do.

It sure didn't look good, though. More than ever, the protesters and news cameras that were showing up would only see a wall, a mass of pads and shields between the will of many and the interests of business.

"There."

Nick paused the introspection. This wasn't the time anyway. "What is it?"

"Park," Judy said. "See his antlers? On the left."

The deer's head was back as he looked up at the building. He turned to talk to someone next to him - a familiar polar bear.

Nick ground his teeth. "I guess it's too much to ask that those two not both be in the middle of this again."

"Yeah. The question is whether we scared them off last time." Judy got on her radio. "Marki, we can see Park down here, with someone who might be Schafer. North end of the pack, by the traffic lights."

"I see them."

"Last time he had agitators in the crowd. If it happens again, can we follow him?"

It took a moment. Nick watched a sheep with a megaphone spit nastiness across the street at the police, and a tech team on the far end of the lineup set up a big hexagonal panel on a tripod. The sound deterrents were coming out. Great.

"Not yet."

"What are we waiting for, exactly?" Judy muttered, off the radio. "There was tear gas last time."

Park worked his way through the edge of the crowd, stopping occasionally to talk to the others and nod encouragement or support. Nick and Judy paced him, until he and Schafer made it to the edge of the gathering and struck off down the block alone, hooves and paws in their pockets, looking up at the Pinnacle Building every once in a while, as if they were a couple of residents who had been stuck navigating the crowd, instead of leading it.

And Judy made to keep up with them. They stepped past the LRAD on its mount, away from the noise of the crowd and away from their own backup. Nick looked down their sidewalk, just in case.

"Nice and easy."

"We're not chasing anyone," Judy said. "We're just watching where they go. Do you have your bodycam?"

"Of course."

"Make sure it's clear."

It was just as well Park didn't seem to care. He hadn't looked back yet. But both mammals were scanning the ground floor now, where there were doors rolled down over service entrances, and the access to Pinnacle's underground garage. Schafer was on his phone. Nick started to get a bad feeling about this, too.

It looked like the same thing they'd seen Park try in Tundratown - stir up a nice big distraction, and then use it as cover to do what he'd really come to do. With even more innocent mammals and offices around Claremont's headquarters, violence would do even more damage.

There was a squeal of tires and the strident sound of a big vehicle's horn behind them. The crowd was getting unruly. Someone got on the police PA, to call a final warning to either stay on the sidewalk or disperse. Nick flinched along with Judy as the keen of the LRAD tore the air open. The noise bounced off the buildings and seemed to rattle in the back of his skull.

Park finally looked back, and seemed none too surprised to see them following along. Nick fought the unease crawling along his hackles and held his ground. This was one of those times, where being the police meant attracting more attention than he would have liked, and getting between mammals and whatever they might have been planning. It meant being right where they needed to be.

The staredown seemed to last forever. But eventually Park did move on. He and Schafer turned the corner onto the side street and were gone. Next to him, Nick heard Judy breathe out.

"I don't suppose we got them to just walk away," she said. "We're not that lucky."

"No," Nick agreed. They would need to get someone down here, and inside. Verdegrand would want to know they were sniffing around the edges like this.

Judy picked up her pace and got on the radio. "Sergeant?"

"We can't back you up, Hopps. Do not pursue."

"I won't," she said. But Nick could see how restless the close shave had made her. He'd slipped away again. "But we're not going to see this coming. Shay-" Judy winced as the LRAD bounced around again, harsh even when it was pointed down the other way. "Shay, are there any call records on Park? Something we can use to match his phone?"

"We have some transcripts, but I don't have a warrant to start up a Stingray yet."

"Marki, can we get that going? There's more than enough evidence now."

Dead air, punctuated by another painful ripple of sound deterrent. "Prep the request."

Judy's grim expression almost made Nick reach for her. "He knows we saw him."

"I know," she said. "But if he does try, he's off the street." Judy put her radio away and dug in her belt for custom hearing protection. "I'm tired of not knowing where he is or where he's going. Our job is to either clear him or put him away, right? How else do we do that?"

That was a shift from the Judy of so many months ago, who hesitated at following someone's phone around without their knowledge. Circumstances were different now. They'd been using that Garreline banker as a tool. As bait, almost. The plan, at least, had been to save his life.

Nick hoped he was more cautious than ever in justifying the things he and his co-workers did. But Judy was right, even if she didn't know it: This did feel different. Park was more insidious than some banker. He was whipping sentiment into something sharp enough to point at huge business interests, and even the police.

It didn't make it any easier to watch how the LRAD set his partner's jaw, and made her drop her ears flat behind her head. They waited by Shay's sensor van while the rest of their team rallied, and watched the careful, choreographed push and pull of the line.

ZPD had arrested two for blocking traffic and a third for interfering. A mouse had received first aid after someone tripped over them. The barricades had gone up as rush hour waned, at the nearest intersections, so nobody would get run over in the dark. The crowd took advantage. They had the numbers edge, and seemed ready to risk deterrents to push onto the street itself and right up into ZPD's faces. In Savanna Central, the natural summer climate meant none of them were going to get cold or tired tonight.

But the police couldn't fire off sound cannons all night - they were so piercing down in the artificial canyons they might as well have been indiscriminate. It was too enclosed for tear gas. Instead, it fell to individual officers again, batons at the ready, to hold their line in the middle of the street. One hyena who got too close got dropped to the concrete and carted away by an armored rhino, right in front of them. Judy watched it all, and Nick watched her get more and more anxious.

Marki took their field reports, and took the time to make careful eye contact with Judy.

"One step at a time. You know why that's important, especially now."

Judy took a deep breath before she nodded.

The snow leopard spent a long moment watching Nick, too. _And I know you know why._ "As soon as the paperwork clears, take the sensor truck and start looking for Park's phone."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Shay submitted their warrant request with their latest evidence, and they were done. Nick picked up on tired paws to put himself between Judy and the cameras at the fringes - of both the credentialed press and the independent documentarians that always showed up at confrontations like these.

The soundproofing of Nick's apartment seemed to do some immediate good. Judy had twitched at every burst of the LRAD siren - and Nick suspected it wasn't because of her sensitive ears as much as because of what it represented. She confirmed it as soon as he reached down to squeeze her shoulders, as soon as they'd changed and she stood by her couch.

"What's _happening_ , Nick?"

The view from here, mercifully, wasn't wide enough to show the Pinnacle Building. He pulled her down onto the couch, so she could curl against him. She wouldn't have brought it up unless it was bothering her - and it meant they would have to work through it before they got the peace and quiet they both needed right now.

"They're pushing on us," he said. Her ears were soft, but the muscles at their base always got a little bit stiff when she was tired or stressed. Now she closed her eyes at his attention. "I don't know if Park is doing this for revenge or cover for revenge or what, but it's working."

"I know we can't just reach out and stop him. There's procedure. He's got laws on his side, just like we do." She had his other paw in hers, to press at his pads and claws. "But there are things we have to do now, thanks to him. I don't think any of those mammals down there know how he's forced our paws."

Nick didn't know any better than she did. Neither of them had ever had to stand so squarely in the way of mammals they were sworn to protect. He'd seen the protests after the Nighthowler incident. She'd had to step in the way then, too, but this showdown with Claremont seemed so much more focused.

"We have to be careful."

"I know that."

"No, I mean you and me specifically," Nick said. He ducked his head, to meet her furrowed look head-on. "We're closer to this than anyone, other than maybe Claremont. Patch is counting on us, and Shay. And we're scaring Marki." He touched her cheek. "I don't want to be the first thing to ever scare Marki."

"Park isn't going to wait around."

"No," Nick agreed. "But he gets more if we overreact than we do if he does. Right? And I think he knows it. He could push us into things we'll never be able to take back."

Judy knew what that meant, all right. She searched his face, and he knew she was looking for signs of the stress that Nick had only experienced once before.

"Nick." She was squeezing his paw, with the conviction that had so drawn him to her in the first place. It didn't matter that she was so small in his arms. She had always been the same anchor for him that he was for her. "Are you okay?"

"So far," he said. "But there's no sign that we're doing this right, much as I'd like one."

And he worried for Judy. She wasn't even 24 hours off shots fired and Park was pushing every button she had. But he didn't have to put that into words yet. For now, being here to keep her safe from the rest of the world was enough.

"I love you, Nick."

He put his nose under her chin, where he belonged, where she would know that he loved her, too. "And you? You okay?"

He could feel her little claws in his fur. "So far."

It was time, he judged.

"Have you eaten today? And like you said, coffee doesn't count as food."

"Yes it does."

His rumble was all exasperation and love. "Stay here," he said, and deposited her on the couch next to him. "I'll go see if there's anything in the fridge."

There were some crackers, which were better than nothing, and the green pepper that he could slice up. More important, though, there was the box on the counter by the mugs. Nick brought up the lights closer to full and took all of it back to her couch.

"Here."

Judy was hungrier than maybe even she thought. Together they polished the whole plate off, and when they were done Nick moved it to the floor so there would be room on the end table he'd hauled around. Judy looked on - tired as before, but still sharp with curiosity as Nick rearranged things.

"What's in the box?"

Nick grinned down at her and dumped the contents on the table with great ceremony. A good third of the 1,000 pieces bounced and scattered over the edge to the floor.

He held the pose, feeling stupid. "I didn't think this through."

Judy laughed and scooted off the couch to help him collect all of them. She inspected one of the red pieces between her little claws.

"What is this?"

"It's from Canyonlands," Nick said. He gave her the lid. "In the wilderness area. The box says a local photographer took it."

She looked from the landscape up to him. She knew what it meant, to have quiet time together without the stresses of their work. He could see that she was getting it. And he saw her leave the knowledge where it was supposed to be, and commit to the here and now.

"It's so pretty," she said. "If this is a real photo, we can even find the place they took it."

Nick felt the grin tugging at his cheeks. "That's cheating. We have to build the picture ourselves first." He helped her corral the giant pile. "I think there's enough room on the table. Right?"

"A square foot," Judy read. "Wow, it's big. Or the pieces are tiny."

"I would put some in the box, but they'd be the ones we end up needing," Nick said. If he sat forward a bit on Judy's couch, he could keep her here in his lap where they would both be able to reach the puzzle. "Start with the edges?"

She had found a pawful of the flat pieces already. Nick helped her test them, and set them aside when they weren't quite right.

In ten minutes, they'd made about as many matches. That pace suited Nick just fine. This was steady progress for its own sake, unattached to anything else. He got so few chances to sit here and keep his tail wrapped around Judy like this, and as far as he was concerned that was most important.

She sat deeper and deeper against him. She protested, too, when she started to doze after the first half hour and he held her paws between his, away from the pieces.

"It will be there tomorrow. And the next day. We need sleep."

"I know." She huffed her disappointment up at him, but she let him pick her up, so her legs dangled, and carry her past the bed. "Where are we going?"

Nick ignored the objection from his sore back. He wanted her close, for as long as he could keep it that way. "Have to brush our teeth first."


	10. Chapter 10

They'd woken to find ZPD had arrested almost a dozen protesters last night, both downtown and in another nasty engagement in Tundratown, after the crowds pushed on the police line around the move-out zone.

A coalition of mammals from the scrum outside Pinnacle had sent an open letter to Claremont and to the press, petitioning for more dialogue. They wanted her to speak to the mammals outside her headquarters, in the fur. They all paid taxes that funded the climate wall, they argued, and the usual methods of public feedback hadn't made any progress.

It had Park's hoofprints all over it, and that was making Judy uncomfortable. He made points that mammals out there were going to agree with. Heck, even she thought some of it sounded reasonable. But it meant that when Claremont forged ahead it would just rile the masses and the police up even further. Park would have more cover. He might have even guessed it was coming.

Maybe even worse, Everett was out on bail. Judy had stared at that one for a while, and she'd had to watch Patch take it, too. They'd known it was coming, but it was still beyond frustrating to watch another lead slip away. Nightly call-ins weren't enough of a leash, as far as she was concerned.

At least their warrant for Park had cleared, and in record time. The courts were apparently as concerned over the stability of the climate wall as everyone else.

The team keeping an eye on Park's listed residence reported it had been quiet for two days now. Judy and the others were running their perimeter through a nice part of the city, all manicured landscaping and wide sidewalks of a light commercial district on the edge of the corporate core downtown. It wasn't the kind of place she expected a demagogue to be trying to undo things.

But here they were, not to sample anything from the nearby restaurants or take in the art installations, but to walk a slow pattern from intersection to intersection, where they jacked into the traffic consoles and started co-opting cameras and cell towers to watch for Park.

Beside her, Nick swung the latest panel closed. "How's that?"

"Got it," Shay's voice came over the radio. "Two more and we'll have almost a full ring around Pinnacle."

"Vista and 22nd Street should be up," Patch radioed.

"I thought that console was still down until Utilities repaired it."

"I went up the pole."

Nick gave her an amused glance.

"Of course you did," Shay chuckled. "Be careful."

"Always."

She let Nick lead as they started for the next light, past an open-air cafe that spilled out onto the sidewalk. The televisions inside were on mute, but Judy could still see the footage of last night's confrontations. It cut to a skunk reporter live from Tundratown, wrapped up against the cold, pointing behind him to the scenes of families leaving their homes in the shadow of the climate wall. The views lingered on the police line, on pepper pistols in holsters. The chyron read _shots fired_.

Some of the morning diners watching the coverage turned to watch her and Nick instead. Judy kept her eyes forward, but it was an effort. There was no missing how some of them seemed guarded and tentative, for no reason. What did an elephant have to fear from a fox and a rabbit?

Nick noticed, too, enough to slow down and walk beside her until they were out of sight and earshot again.

"I didn't know Precinct Three broke out the heavy deterrents last night. Tear gas _and_ rubber rounds?"

Nick cast a grim glance back the way they'd come. "Neither did I."

The scene must have been as tense as ever, to justify that kind of response. And it was already knocking on. _Us vs. Them_ was already starting to solidify in everyone's minds, even if it was wrong. ZPD was doing what it had to - but it seemed that no matter how many times it explained that point, no matter the even-pawed judgement it showed in its arrests and reactions, no matter the access it granted to media to tell their stories - it kindled suspicion and distrust.

And the work Judy did with Nick wouldn't make it to those headlines, she thought as he unlocked the last panel and plugged in Shay's drive. Nobody would know about this little dragnet.

"Perimeter is up," Shay said. "Nice work, everyone."

"What's your range?" Judy asked.

"These are just the fixed municipal cameras, so not as far as they could be," Shay said. "But the IMSI boxes will catch most everything inside the ring every thirty seconds, and a good half-mile the other way. If Park's phone shows up anywhere in there, we'll have a fix on his location within a couple minutes, tops."

"We need a spot to stake out," she told Nick.

"You expecting him to come through here today?"

Judy craned her neck to look back toward the protests. "If anything is going to draw him out, it's Claremont deciding to accelerate things."

"Fair." Nick followed her gaze. "Which street did we come down? Delamar? We'll start there."

\---

They parked close enough that with the windows down, Judy could still catch the buzz of continued demonstration from in front of Pinnacle. It was calmer now, but probably only thanks to the time of day.

Patch had gotten back in touch at Shay's sensor van - and then he'd climbed a tree on the other side of the plaza with a pair of field glasses. Nick had smirked over at her when he'd explained it, but Judy suspected that was just how things were done in Rainforest. It would keep him out of sight while he watched the approach to Pinnacle, too, which might come in useful. If Park came through here, they would want to watch his every step.

But an hour in, and Shay hadn't spotted anything suspicious. Nick had leaned over and told Judy to stop checking with her every five minutes. If there was a hit, they'd see it.

So instead, Judy scanned back and forth through the streets and paths that fed this little plaza, looking for antlers.

"Relax." Nick poked her in the ribs, so she jumped and scowled.

"I'm focused."

"It's like you're hunting."

That got her to aim the scowl over at him.

Nick shrugged in his seat and eyed the dashcam. "Normally you're twitchier."

"I'm okay," she said. _Okay_ okay. That's what it was about, she saw in his ears. He was still quietly worrying about the engagement at the wall, and probably every little thing they'd dealt with since then. Last night was only the briefest of breaks from the stress. She hoped he was savoring it the way she was. "Just working hard."

 _Too hard_ , he would probably be thinking. But Judy couldn't help it. It was how she dealt with that stress, while she was on duty: Do whatever it took to find the root cause, and stop it. It had worked so far. Even from the hospital bed.

And it would work for the city, too. The sooner they came down on Park, the sooner everyone who was watching this whole mess stew would go back to normal.

"How you doing, Patch?"

"It's quiet." He sounded calm and focused. "I don't know exactly what a local looks like around here, but none of them are acting suspicious. No sign of Park."

"That's good," Shay cut in. "Frankly, I'd like it if these scopes stayed blank all day."

Nick pointed a claw at the radio and shook his head yes.

"Horrible influence on the new guys, you are," Judy said. She clipped the pawset back onto the dash. "That would just mean he's off causing trouble somewhere else."

"Probably," Nick said. "But it's not like we can arrest him just for showing his muzzle here. He's on thin ice, sure, but it's still ice."

"No," she agreed. "When has he ever backed down, though? I want to be the one watching if decides to push it."

"ZPD's one-bunny police force," Nick murmured, and he had a gentle smile to counter her frown. He reached over to take her paw. "Just don't stress it too much, okay?"

She nodded and squeezed him back, so he'd know he'd gotten through to her.

And almost right at noon, Shay jumped back on the circuit.

"I've got a match."

"Park?" Judy scanned the now-quiet cross streets again, just in case. "Where?"

"Up north," she said. "It looks like he came in on a vehicle, but right now he's not moving."

"That was way too easy," Nick muttered.

"Do you have an address?"

"Soon. I've got the program chewing on it. If he stays in range for a couple more minutes I can send the ID to his carrier and get tracking data for a week. I'll keep you posted."

"We can't go after him," Nick said.

"Not yet," Judy said. "But we can put this on a list." She toggled. "Thanks, Shay."

"It gets better," Shay said. "Check your email. This just went up on Claremont's site."

Judy's work phone buzzed, and she heard Nick's go off, too. Her stomach wobbled, as if she were keying up for action, as she pulled the cruiser's computer around to bring up the message.

It was in black and white now. On official letterhead, even. To honor its commitments to the citizens of Zootopia, Claremont Energy Group was accelerating its plans to finish vital repairs and start new construction on the climate wall, with "all necessary speed." Its resettlement agreements would match pace.

 _"A comfortable, timely transition is our highest priority,"_ Nick read. _"...and common ground with all of the members of the community we serve,_ yadda yadda." He sighed. "The lawyers can defang this all they want, but it's not going to matter."

"They acknowledged the protesters," Judy pointed out as she scrolled through it. "That's odd."

"No shareholders to piss off, remember? Just Park. Maybe they think they can be a bit more direct."

"Wilde, check in."

Nick gave Judy a significant look and pulled the radio off the dash. "Sergeant, have you seen this?"

"Yes," Marki said. "Is Park moving?"

"Great," Nick said, and depressed the vox button again. "Not yet. We're still on the perimeter."

"Stay put, then. We might need you to intercept."

"Yes, Ma'am," Patch sent.

Marki signed off - and the distant ripple of an LRAD siren cut through the afternoon ambiance. Judy looked around as nearly everyone she could see out here on the street reacted. That hadn't taken long at all. ZPD would be pushing back on a freshly angered crowd, and it was barely noon.

"So much for our profile," Nick said.

Judy struggled to pull his bulkier riot pads out of storage and pass them over. "I don't think we were fooling anyone."

That got more obvious, as the foot traffic outside started its subtle shift away from the Pinnacle building. Their cruiser was parked in the shade on the edge of this plaza, and mammals were giving it a wide berth. Judy saw cafe staff helping their patrons move off the patios and into dining rooms. A whole herd of wildebeest making their way through weren't even bothering to disguise their wariness of the the ZPD presence on the corner. Judy scowled.

Shay had sent them the feed from her scanners, so at least they were able to watch the motionless icon that represented Park's phone. Everything up that way was light commercial: more restaurants, and real estate agents and dental practices.

"Why there? He's not just getting lunch."

"Pay dirt," Shay said. Judy twitched in her seat. "Sergeant, are you here?"

"Go."

"I ran Park's phone location records against the carrier logs. He didn't use it much, but the timestamps put him in Tundratown near the wall on the night of the arson."

Judy fumbled for the pawset. "Right there?"

"No, it's only close. There are a couple pings two blocks from the evaporator that got hit, and then another set less than five minutes after it happened. They show him moving away, short distances at first. I think he got in a vehicle."

Turn off his phone long enough to cut in, power it back up after he got clear to call for a ride. Judy drummed her claws on the dash. It worked. Enough for deniability, if the police were checking where he was exactly at the moment of the arson.

But there was the prodding Park had done to inflame the situation - and more importantly, the fact that he'd told Setter he'd been at home in Rainforest when his phone put him in Tundratown.

"Sergeant, the timing checks out," she said. "That has to be enough for charges to stick."

"Maybe. Shayler, send it."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Judy kept eyeing the tracker. He was right there, just blocks from them.

"She's right," Nick said. He might have given her grief for her focus earlier, but they were both at it now. His ears were straight up, like hers. "You know we can't jump now."

It was just like yesterday. "He'll just walk out of the net. Shay spent hours setting it up."

"We know where he is, and we know where he was," Nick said. "One step at a time."

Judy hung up the pawset and hovered on the edge of her seat to watch the map. They waited for almost an hour like that, quiet but for the reports chattering over the general channel, until Patch called in from the wrong side of the plaza.

"Judy, I think I just saw Schafer down here."

It wasn't as good as grabbing Park, Judy thought. But she would take it. "Where?"

"He's already past me, on his way toward Pinnacle. There's another polar bear with him, and some deer."

"Nick, go."

\---

It was a fast two blocks back to the cordons in front of Claremont's HQ. They ditched the cruiser and made the final approach on foot, to draw a little bit less attention.

Patch had shadowed Schafer and his pals right up to the back edge of the crowds around Pinnacle, where the chanting was back in full swing. By then Marki had picked them up, and watched them slip through the protesters until they approached the western edge of the skyscraper. From their spot in the shadow of a service alleyway across the street, Judy and Nick could see the same entrances they'd followed Park past yesterday.

"Why don't we have anything on this side, again? I thought we warned Verdegrand about this."

"Play this careful," Nick said. He had his paws on her shoulders, and he'd obviously been thinking the same thing. "We don't have the backup to force anything here."

She twisted an ear for him. "You sound like Marki."

"There's a reason for that."

She reached up to squeeze him back.

Judy didn't intend to move until Marki herself was posted to watch over the intercept - but that meant she had to sit with Nick and watch Schafer cross into view, on the wrong side of the statutory police line that ran down the center of the street. He and the others were looking up at the service doors, and the second-floor windows, and the cameras and lights that dotted the exterior. They were all wearing dark clothing, just like last time. The deer had hoods, with the usual cuts for their antlers. Schafer carried a backpack.

"In position," Marki sent. "Confirm four."

"Four," Judy said. "Two polar bears, two reindeer, and all getting a bit too close." As she watched, one of the deer crouched to fiddle with the lock mechanisms on the heavy shutter. "They're trying to force one of the garage doors."

"Careful, Hopps." Or maybe it was Marki who sounded like Nick. "Backup is en route."

"We might not have time for backup."

"Verdegrand knows," Patch sent. He was breathing hard. "I called him, but I don't know if he'll be here in time."

"Where are you?"

"Right around the corner," he said. "North side."

They'd forced the door. The two deer slipped through the half-open shutter. _"Marki..."_

"Go. Stay out of my shot from the north."

They broke cover and started across the street. Judy threw a look down to the end, where Patch was coming around the corner himself, wide to the other sidewalk so he wouldn't foul Marki's field of fire. He wasn't wearing riot pads. Judy's stomach rolled.

Their targets saw them coming. One of the bears turned and Judy caught him muttering the alert.

_"Schafer!"_

She'd forgotten how large he was. Worse, even now, even as they'd caught him trying to force entry in a protest zone, he and his companion still had time to share a grim smile.

Patch was coming up hard, and Judy saw two more big cops in proper plates make the corner and hustle down the near side of the building, fire fields be damned. Five on two, but the police still wouldn't have a weight advantage. She heard Nick's taser click out of its holster behind her.

"Stay where you are. Put your pack on the ground."

"Or what?"

"You're under arrest for trespassing. Put the bag down, Schafer. Now."

They were moving. Spreading out. Judy stopped where she was and drew her own taser.

"Stop where you are."

"Last warning, Schafer." Nick's voice was tight, and for good reason. Their sidearms wouldn't stop a polar bear for long. They might just ignore the incapacitating charge. It happened sometimes.

Schafer, on the left, took two steps closer. Judy took one back. If he made it any further into the street where they were, Marki would drop him.

Patch was here, charging his own tiny taser. Schafer seemed to recognize him - and his grin only got wider.

"You just don't give up, do you?"

And then the bear on the right offered a startled curse.

Schafer whirled - and froze.

The reindeer came one after the other out of the door they'd entered, with their hooves cuffed behind their backs, marching ahead of two lions in padded CEG security vests. Verdegrand ducked underneath the half-open garage door, with a stun gun of his own trained on Schafer.

"Officers." He nodded to Patch. "Thanks for the call, LeCarroll."

"Schafer," the other bear growled. "You never said-"

"Zocchi." Schafer had the leer stunned off his face. "Stop talking."

Their backup arrived in McHorn and Higgins, who pulled Schafer around and started processing him right there. He didn't offer any more resistance as they pulled his pack off and slapped on a pair of cuffs.

Instead he was looking from Verdegrand to Patch, and the loathing on his muzzle as he put it together was making the squirrel get physical distance.

"What's in the bag, Schafer?" Judy asked.

He bared his teeth in a full-on threat display. His huge shoulders rolled against the restraints. "That's twice now, you little rat. Do you really think this is going to matter?" He jerked his head up at the building above them. "After what she just pulled?"

Only now that the bears were trussed did Patch fumble his taser back into his holster, Judy noticed. His eyes were huge.

"Trespassing not enough for you?" she asked Schafer. If he was going to run his mouth, they might as well try to get something out of it - and maybe she could get his attention off Patch, too. She ignored the adrenaline curling in her own stomach. "You want threatening charges, too?"

"You don't have anything on me. Just like you didn't have anything on Everett."

Nick's ears twitched in Judy's periphery. "And where is Everett?"

"You'd like to know, I'd bet. And _you._ " He was still staring at Patch. "I hope it's you who finds him."

The anger wobbled into something uneasy and cold. Judy waved a paw. "McHorn, get him out of here."

"That's enough of that," the rhino rumbled. He shoved Schafer to his knees on the concrete and reached for a muzzle. "Higgins."

They got all the interlopers seated in a rough line on the curb for processing. Judy caught Marki on the radio with the scene commander, arranging for cruisers.

She put her back to the other mammals and pushed down on the feeling. Schafer was going to operate just like Park, and go just as far as he thought he could get away with. It had finally caught up to him this time, but he was too far over that line, or too angry now, to care. Fine. But she wasn't going to let him hurt anyone else in the process.

Patch was trying not to watch Schafer. Judy could see it in his ears, and she knew all too well what it was like to sit there with the fight or flight racing around after an angry perp stared you down. She stepped between them.

"Hey."

It seemed to help. He shook out his tail again and focused on her instead. "I'm all right."

"First arrest?"

"First time I've had to draw on a big predator." Patch shook his head. "Sorry, Nick."

"Guy scares the pants off me, too." Nick safed his taser and put it away. He spared a glance for the bear on the sidewalk. "Don't worry about it. That was a good call, letting Verdegrand know."

"Yes, thank you." Verdegrand was still here, and so quiet that Judy hadn't noticed. He nodded toward the deer. "We caught those two poking around just inside the back stairs. They didn't get to anything important."

"ZPD will have a full report for you as soon as we can," Judy said. "I'll even bring your cuffs back myself. We might be able to get you interviews, if you want them."

"I need to brief Claremont." Verdegrand's taser had disappeared, along with his security staff. Now he had a tablet, so he could key in repair orders for whatever the intruders had done to the garage door. "But then I might take you up on that."


	11. Chapter 11

Nick was glad for the familiar surroundings of Evidence Two. They hadn't spent serious time in the office for days now, and probably wouldn't get the chance again for a while, the way things were breaking open around them.

Shay never went far without at least one computer. This one she had on a corner of the big steel lab table, out of the way of their evidence but close enough to keep an eye on the feeds from interrogation. Patch was on the arm of her chair, ostensibly to watch the same progress - but Nick saw the way his fingers curled around hers at the edge of the table.

They'd spent a few minutes on their own when they'd arrived, out in the vehicle pool. He knew how that felt, to steal every moment you could.

Patch had come a long way since the Academy, but this was the first time in the field that a big mammal with zero reservations was wishing him harm. It wasn't an exercise anymore.

Nick wished he wouldn't apologize. As far as he was concerned, skittishness was absolutely warranted when that much angry polar bear decided to show you his teeth. That went for all of them, except maybe Marki.

It was bugging Judy, too, and probably for the same reason. She had as much right to be uncomfortable as Patch, but so far it was just showing as stubborn focus, like they were grilling Big about missing otters again. He caught her eye and prodded the bear-scale bag between them. Maybe it would get her mind off what had happened.

"Want the honors?"

She donned a pair of baggy gloves and tugged at the oversize zippers - gingerly at first, but with more confidence as she went. It was one of the popular surplus-inspired designs, but none of the webbing was broken in yet. It had to be new.

There wasn't much. She turned up a big sealed bottle of water, and packets of antacid powder, and flexible surgical masks cut for longer muzzles. The high-end DSLR looked brand new, too, and that made Shay's eyes light up behind her glasses.

"That's a low-light lens." She plucked the camera's memory card from its slot. "What were they up to?"

"Evidence," Judy reminded her.

"First stop, archive server." She left her chair to cross to the airgapped computer on one wall.

"Maybe they were looking for something juicy to come back to later," Judy floated. She pointed to the bottle. "They wanted pictures, and they were ready to brave tear gas for it."

"With all of ZPD down there?" Nick asked. The interview camera showed a high angle view of Schafer sitting alone at the table. "He had to know trying to get into Pinnacle was going to bring everyone down on him. And why go for someplace so far away from the big distraction out front?"

"That's how Park works though, isn't it?" Patch said. He had a professional frown on as he tugged the bag around in his own protected paws. "Maybe he's double-bluffing."

"But burning Schafer and three others for it?"

"This card is new," Shay said. "No data, not even on the buffers."

It was all that way. And that didn't make any sense, now that confrontation was past and Nick had time to think about the why. Double-game or no, this was sloppy like they hadn't seen before. There were eyes and cameras everywhere downtown. Nobody else they'd grabbed had any dangerous equipment to speak of.

Park was angry or scared enough to hit something right under their noses, just like before. Probably even more so, now. The speculation was dangerous, when it came to so many moving parts, but if Nick had to guess...

"This smells like panic. Like someone sending a bunch of goons to look for a weak point just in case. Judy, I think you're right."

She nodded. "I thought Park might have expected Claremont's announcement. Now I'm glad I was wrong. Imagine if he'd planned it out more."

"Expensive panic," Shay said. She clicked the card back onto the table. "The camera body alone is four grand, and figure another two for the lens, at least. Patch, who makes the pack?"

"Lange. Another three hundred, easy."

He didn't even have to check the label. Nick raised his eyebrows.

"I like climbing gear," he said, and shrugged. "This bag will last several lifetimes. If I had a million dollars, I'd have one of these in my size."

"Or fifty million," Judy said. She drummed her clawtips on the table where she was watching the interview feed. "Park has the cash to buy whatever distractions he wants."

There were two extra mammals down there, both camels in impeccable suits. Nick watched them sit at the table and start laying out paperwork for Schafer to read. "And fancy lawyers for his buddies."

"Those aren't lawyers, that's counsel," Judy muttered. Her ears had stayed down.

"At least he's not going anywhere soon," Nick said. "Trespass and intimidation is a lot harder to shrug off, and this time we do have it on video." And there might be an atavism case, with how he'd snapped at Patch. Nick left that part unsaid, for now.

The rubber stripping on the lab door squeaked. Marki looked like she was scanning them for damage. There was a wolf with her - Setter, from back in Precinct 3.

"Progress?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"A bunch of new gear," Judy said. "They didn't even get a chance to use the camera."

"There were masks here for all four of them," Nick said. "But that's it. Bag's empty otherwise. If this was another sabotage attempt, it wasn't going to get far."

"A probe," Marki said. "Reconnaissance."

"Right." They'd catch any return visits, at least. Even with two big protests going, ZPD still had enough spare mammalpower to post officers on the west side of the building downtown. Better late than never.

"Our other friend Zocchi doesn't have much." Setter either smoked cigarettes for a living, or had been in one heck of a bar fight at some point. He crossed his arms. "Body language says Schafer's paying him for his work, which means Shafer's probably getting paid, too."

"No contact with Park?"

Setter shook his head and looked over the assembled evidence. "Didn't sound like it. Unless Schafer kept them in the dark, none of them sounded like they had a plan."

"Yeah." Judy's foot drummed. "When can we talk to Schafer?"

"Setter will do it," Marki said.

Judy frowned back up at her. "It's our case. And with Park and Everett both to ground now, we're running out of leads."

Nick flattened his ears in apology at the other canid, but Setter just had a faint grin at the corner of his muzzle.

"Hopps, isn't it? You're not wrong. I sat that banker down for a while earlier today."

Judy scowled. _"Griffith."_

"That's right." He pulled a small notebook from a breast pocket and leafed through it. "Dead end. Says he thought Park was suing again, and he panicked when you showed up instead of the finance mammals."

Nick had to think back. "So, what, he called Park directly to chew him out?"

"Schafer."

The bear's confrontational tone clicked a bit more, for what that was worth, and Nick's estimation of bankers ticked a couple notches lower. That first encounter in Tundratown had set the tone for this whole thing.

If I get anything else, you'll have it," Setter said. "I wouldn't count on it, though. The nobodies are working for hire with no intel, and the rest are going to sit it out until trial."

"A warrant for Schafer's hotel room is pending." Marki held out a paw to forestall any more objection. "Until then, you have evidence to tag."

\---

Tag they did. And then they all crowded into the observation room on the other side of the one-way window, in time to listen to Setter grind out another mostly fruitless interview. Schafer didn't speak much, except to confirm with entirely too much enthusiasm in his voice that he would be exercising his rights to silence until whenever they scheduled a hearing for him. It felt like a formality to Nick, by the time they were done. Setter was right: It was like he'd planned for this, like he was okay with a stint in jail.

That they would actually have fared worse against the pros in there didn't seem to matter to Judy. She led the way out into the evening. Patch and Shay would be catching the late train back to Rainforest.

"We relieve the perimeter teams tomorrow morning," Nick reminded them. Patch's tail was drooping. "So get some rest. Grab some food, too; take some time to decompress. It helps."

Patch nodded. Shay put a hoof on his shoulder and he smiled up at her.

"I know a place."

"That goes for you, too," Nick said, when the trolley bound for rainforest had sealed up and left them there on the platform. They started for their own train, on the other end of the downtown stop. "And me."

Judy's eyes were big in the nighttime lights. "I know why Marki called it the way she did," she said. "But I still want a piece of that bear."

"It probably came from all the way up at the advisory board," Nick said. "Not even Bogo could change that. Claremont's too important to leave to a couple of heroes."

She didn't even give him the long-suffering smirk this time. Her ears were still down. "All the others might still walk, in a couple of days. You saw those shysters. They know that even in a protest we can't sit on someone forever."

"We really hate lawyers now, don't we? It's unconscious."

_"Nick."_

A little too close to home, then. "Sorry."

But Judy seemed to recognize he was trying to cope, too. She shook her head, and her paw contacted his briefly.

"It's just- Schafer's just one lieutenant. And now Everett's going to run into us again, because we'll be chasing him."

"We've got backup this time," he said. "We learned that."

"I'm not worried about us," she murmured.

They had to spend the ride toward her apartment in silence. There were too many other ears still about.

The progress didn't feel like enough. There was no guarantee that they would get to Park before word of the afternoon's events did. And Schafer was right, when he suggested Everett was still a threat.

The only thing for it was vigilance. They were all was dangerous, but at least before they'd been able to see Park coming a bit better. Now that he'd vanished, they'd be lucky to be in the right place at the right time again.

"Do you want to change?" she asked, when they arrived on her floor.

Nick flexed his claws against the familiar floorboards. "I was just going to crash."

"Let's pull some weeds first." Judy led him down the hallway, and looked back to stop his argument in his throat. She was so tired. "Just fifteen minutes. I think we both need it."

So they did change, into loose, beaten clothing - gardening clothing - and spent their time before bed on the roof under the strings of lights, with their paws buried next to each other in the soil. They pulled stubborn little vines and deceptively prickly broad-leaf shoots, and smoothed the beds for their green beans, and gave them water. Nick tapped his muzzle against Judy's ears.

"We never went to Sahara," she said.

Nick had to think back, to the first night of the case. He couldn't blame her for dwelling on it. They'd probably brought some of it on themselves, with the art on their puzzle.

He got closer, so maybe she'd be able to feel his smile. "We'll get there."

She smelled like cedar and topsoil, like they were back on her family's farm. Nick seized on it. When they were done and leaning against the tomato box, He kept her close so he could push his nose against her. It didn't matter that she was trailing dirt against his throat.

\---

The climate downtown the next morning felt as frosty as the one in Tundratown. The crowds might be thinner, now that the initial shock of the construction announcement was past, but the mammals who were still here were the committed ones. They seemed willing to toe the line with ZPD more often.

And if he and Judy hadn't lucked into the investigation role, Nick knew they'd be the ones on rotation with the rest of the precinct. He recognized tired muzzles everywhere, huddling in little circles around their styrofoam cups when they weren't casting wary glances across the street toward fellow citizens.

It was enough to make him feel guilty that Claremont had coffee for them in the lobby up in the office when they went to brief her. It was good, too, not the solvent-strength stuff ZPD brewed.

Claremont looked tired herself, when they briefed her. Her eyes were narrow and her stripes seemed more severe. She was standing by the dimmed windows in the conference room off her office with them, lashing her tail and watching the footage Verdegrand was playing through the projector.

"We don't think they were trying to get far," he said. "The building has cameras and keycards all the way up, and Park would know that. The deer that came in didn't try to push past the first layer of security."

They had their backs to the camera. As Nick watched, Verdegrand's team came up and got the drop on them.

Claremont's claws ticked on the stainless mug. "You said it felt like a probe," she prompted.

Even the small-scale boardroom chair Patch was borrowing was too big for him. "Sergeant Marki did."

"And do you agree?"

He put a paw out to stop his gentle spin and considered. "Our theory is that Park wasn't even involved. They didn't bring enough kit." His tail wrapped close. "And Schafer was scared. I don't think he expected to get caught so quickly. Whatever they were here for, they weren't ready to use their time well."

"Did he say anything useful during questioning?" she asked.

"We can't share that right now." Then, when Claremont grimaced into her mug: "Not that you're missing much."

That didn't seem to help either. "I thought about addressing this, you know," she said. "Publicly."

Nick shared an alarmed glance with the others. "I would advise-"

"Against it, yes," Claremont said. "And for what it's worth, Verdegrand convinced me not to. But interviews and trials take time that we don't have to spare. Schafer worked with Park. The others might have, too. This arrest might have scared him off for the moment, or it might have made him even angrier. I won't give him the chance to plan something more effective for next time."

"They worked together- at Ranger, or for your company?" Judy asked.

"Here. At the Rainforest boilers."

"Then that's where we'll start," she said. "We're already going through Schafer's history. Maybe something will connect."

"How long can you hold him?" Claremont asked.

"For trespass? A good long time. But we have less on the other bear," Judy said. "A few more days for him, at most. Their lawyers looked expensive."

"Do what you can, then." Claremont flicked from her, to Verdegrand, to the frozen deer on the projector screen. "I'll tell our staff at the boilers to expect you this morning."

\---

It meant they had to leave the perimeter alone for a while longer, especially since Patch and Shay came along to show them around. Nick didn't think chasing this lead was quite as important as making sure they saw Park if he made another move toward the offices - and he didn't think Marki would, either - but Judy had agreed to Claremont's implicit direction for all of them.

She did have some reason to jump at every shadow right now, Nick thought as they stepped back into the muggy Rainforest air outside the boiler plant's admin offices. Someone had just tried to break into her headquarters. It was natural that she was going to want to check every lead, just in case.

He wondered if the bustle of activity down here was related. This was the first time Nick could remember seeing any of Claremont's security staff out in the open.

Shay had their new flashdrive. "We can check this over at HQ," she said, and pointed up a sweeping curve of stairs along one edge of the plaza. "Have you guys ever taken the sky tram through here?"

Nick caught Judy's private smile. "Once or twice."

They let Shay and Patch take the lead. This was their stomping grounds, like downtown was for him and Judy. It was obvious, too. They spent less time craning around at the dizzying structures in the morning fog, even though there was arguably more to look at here than in city center.

It all seemed to embrace the open air. Last time Nick had been through here he hadn't had reason to stroll right down the middle of the boulevard. Now that he was looking, he saw dense tiers of cafes and parks built right into the edges of trees, and arching bridges overhead, and the sky tram line climbing deeper into the canopy in the distance. A twisting stretch of what he through were vines turned out to be tube paths, for the rodents.

"Busier out here than usual," Patch said. He pointed out another set of ZPD-blue uniforms on a walkway below them. "Look - there's Lear and Collins, I think. Usually they're night shift."

"Did we miss a ramp?" Shay murmured.

"Dunno."

The okapi on duty waved to Shay as they came through Precinct Four's front lobby. She led them to her desk in the blissfully climate-controlled IT center in the back. Nick counted six monitors.

"I've been building a dossier on Park, and I cloned it for Schafer and Everett as soon as we ran into them again in Tundratown," she said as they flickered up out of standby. "The background checks should be almost done, and this work history should slot right in."

"Do you two take anything with your coffee?" Patch asked.

"Decaf for me," Judy said. "And creamer."

Shay rotated an ear in their direction. _"Told you,"_ she sang under her breath.

"I'll be fine," Patch shot back. "I can't drink as much as you anyway."

"Straight," Nick chuckled. "You haven't started on the hard stuff, have you?"

"It helps me wake up." Patch pulled a tiny mug from a collection of them on one of Shay's filing cabinets and ducked out. His tail chased him around the corner.

"Sorry, Judy," Shay muttered, and smiled. She waggled her own travel mug. The steam fogged her glasses. "He talks about you a lot. We like to argue about natural vs. liquid enthusiasm."

Her programs spat out a couple mammal-of-interest profiles. They got closer to read. Nick ignored the tall stool next to Shay's own high-end desk chair. It had to be Patch's.

Schafer's time with Claremont had been underwhelming, with a couple of reprimands for poor behavior on the job, and from what Nick was gathering of the corporate culture there that made his departure only a matter of time. He'd been at the Rainforest site for a while before Park had joined up, and they'd left at the same time.

Now Schafer had acquired an official ZPD mug shot. But he hadn't showed up in ZPD's crime records until this current nastiness had started. So what made him throw in with a jilted industrialist, Nick wondered? He hadn't been forced out of the energy game the same way.

"Huh," Shay said. She highlighted Schafer's address field. It was still blank. "It worked."

Patch came back, unsteady under the weight of a full styrofoam cup. He held it up for Nick.

"Thanks."

"You bet." He vanished again.

"Do you suppose he knew it was coming?" Nick asked. "The rehousing?"

"Before the arson, or after?"

"Well, he didn't go looking for another job when he lost this one, and he's not hanging around Park for the character reference."

"So, what, blaze of glory?" Shay looked doubtful. "I don't think it's about what Claremont is doing now. Park wants revenge."

"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about."

"Park can bankroll this, we think," Judy said. "Lawyers and all. Maybe he's getting a cut when this all settles down."

"Everett, too," Nick said. The money must have been incredible. Worth the risk of years in prison. He indulged in the brief fantasy of some opportunistic thief robbing Park and the others blind, just for the sake of karma, but it soured when he realized it would just mean more paperwork when they finally got him and had to account for everything.

Patch had Judy's giant coffee cup. She bent to accept it.

"They don't stock small-scale cups here?" she asked. Nick found his a bit unwieldy in his paws, but she could have worn hers as a hat.

"No, we do," Patch said. "We're just out again."

"I think you're right, Nick. Everett never worked for Claremont, or Ranger," Shay said. "His record is petty, I think." She paged through document scans. "No convictions. But look at this - there's a settlement paid under the old atavism measures." She winced. "Oh."

Oh was right. That was exactly what they needed: a polar bear who had a history with smaller mammals.

"Opportunist," Nick suggested. "He knows Schafer, and he's not scared to pick fights with cops."

"I think I liked the other motivation." Judy was grim.

Patch's mug was sealed, so he could execute a graceful leap onto his chair. "I talked to Karst, Shay, and you're right. We missed a ramp and a half."

There it was again. "A ramp?" Nick asked.

"Precinct Four slang," Shay said. She pointed to a schedule email she'd pulled up on one of her monitors. "For increased ZPD patrol presence. We overlap the shifts so there's more coverage, especially in the mornings and evenings. Lots of mammals are most active then, and you know how Rainforest is pretty busy when it comes to crime."

"And word is Chief Paratas is thinking about a curfew," Patch said. He sobered as he read Everett's history. "As soon as tonight."

Shay twisted in her seat. Judy's ears swished upright.

Everything until now had been reaction, really. Careful observation and crowd control. And as far as Nick was concerned, that was risky enough. A curfew meant drawing a line, even if it was for the protection of the city's residents: _This is where the unrest stops, and you start listening to us._

None of them had experienced that, beyond the Academy training. There had never been a need for it, even during the nighthowler scare.

"There's no demonstration here," Shay said. "What is he thinking?"

"Do you think it's coming straight from him?" Patch asked. "You know how careful he is. He knows how that will look."

"Where?"

"The boilers, Karst says."

_Claremont._ Her mood during the meeting this morning made more sense now, and Nick didn't like the implications. "How did the oversight board go for that?"

"Just because it's quiet now doesn't mean it will stay quiet," Judy said. "Shay has a point."

"But we're not Claremont's security," Nick said. "You heard her this morning. And you saw her own mammals down there, right? They've got plenty of paws without us."

"ZPD can't just ignore this, though." Judy shook her head. "Especially not us. Park and Schafer are too close to it. What if it is next, after all? They both worked there. They both have grudges and friends with violent grudges, and Park is getting angrier every time Claremont makes a move."

"We think. I don't like the speculation."

"I don't either, but we can't risk it," Judy repeated. "Not with Everett still out there, and who knows who else. There's even less protecting anyone he goes after now."

It was the flick to Patch's tail that brought Nick back a bit. The squirrel had looked from the court reports on Shay's screens to them, and this time his ears were down.

Nick exhaled. "Sorry, Patch."

"No, it's-" He pulled his nose out of his mug. "It's going to happen either way, right? And we already squared up with these guys once. We'll do it again if we have to."

Shay had a hoof on his shoulder.

"Quit it." Patch mustered a little smile for her. He waved a paw at the screens. "It's not like I did that to him."

"No, but I don't like that you remind anybody of a bad court case."

Judy just looked uncomfortable.

Nick couldn't help but worry, either. Every step they made on this case was another reminder of how easy it was to get swept up in the whole thing. He liked to think he was more cautious now. Judy, too. He wanted to get her alone to talk through it, to make sure she really was okay.

Because Patch and Shay probably hadn't learned those same lessons yet. This was new to them, and intimidating for Patch, despite his progress, and breakneck like none of them here had ever dealt with.

All Nick and Judy had to go on was hard-won intuition and experience. And he worried it still wasn't enough.


	12. Chapter 12

Their picture of Park's movements was woefully spotty with just the one network downtown. Before they went back there, Shay signed out a couple extra crates of equipment and they went to plug in more IMSI catchers.

The foremammal from Nick and Judy's last visit to the biomass plants guided them around again, this time way up into the catwalks around the tree-camouflaged radiator stacks so Patch could find an appropriate branch for the antenna. He tied an expert anchor knot around the catwalk and cruised down a branch a good eighty feet in the air, on all fours for grip but otherwise as casual as he might be on solid ground. Shay watched him the whole way.

Nick found it was somehow more comfortable to stare out into the steamy drop. He pushed on the railing to stretch shoulders that were still a bit sore from Tundratown. He could see the walkways where they'd visited before from here, and the loading bay floor below, where a bunch of hard-hatted mammals were scurrying over the latest truckload of recycling that would eventually be burned as fuel. They looked like insects from this far up.

"How's that?" Patch called over the deep whir of the air currents.

Shay gave him an affirmative wave and motioned him back toward them.

"You need us to ignore this thing?" the foremammal asked.

"Please," Shay said. She flicked an ear for him, but didn't move her head. "It has its own batteries and everything. You won't notice it's there until we come back for it."

Patch unclipped his lines and looped them over his shoulders for storage. "Can we do that again at the wall?"

"Let's not."

\---

It wasn't practical to string sensors all along the whole cold side. Shay had decided to stick to just one device, at the original arson site, on the logic that it was where Park had caused trouble twice before.

It was late afternoon by the time they arrived. And just a few days after they'd last been through here, it was almost unrecognizable. The new evaporator coils Claremont was working on were an impressive stack of hardware when they weren't burned to slag.

And the protest line looked dug in. The police who waved them through here were even more wary and weary than those downtown, and the mammals gathered around their tents and platforms on the other side of the street weren't chanting anymore. Nick saw a lot of black clothing and wrapped horns and antlers right in front, and a lot of attention coming their way. He grimaced at Judy - he didn't like that she would have to deal with this. She gave him a patient smile.

"It's like they're waiting," Shay said.

"They like excuses to cause trouble, too," the rhino officer who cleared them through said. Hornady was stenciled across his vest. He pushed the barricade behind them back into position and they started across the street toward the crowds. "We've had a few arrests a day, and they just keep coming back."

Here, their connection to the grid was through a commercial cell site build into a corner of one of the warehouses. Patch twisted to look up at the ladder, which was stowed up against the side of the building.

"Up there?"

"I have the key for that ladder," Shay said.

"Don't need it."

_"Patch."_

"It's one story." He grinned over at her. "Come on."

She sighed and gave him the antenna box. Patch clipped it to the back of his belt, bounced on his toes a couple times to check his new balance, and then ran straight up the brickwork and jumped to grab the ladder's lowest rung. Hornady snorted, impressed.

"You're such a show-off," Shay said under her breath, as he pulled himself up. Patch snapped his anchor onto the ladder's rail, tugged on it so they could hear it ringing against the metal from down here, and flashed them a thumbs-up.

"He's always safe about it, at least," Judy said. "And he is saving us a lot of time. I don't know what we would have done for that tower in Rainforest if he hadn't gone himself."

"I wanted to call PB&J's techs," Shay said. She had a rugged laptop open in the crate she'd hauled out here. "But he enjoys it too much."

"What's the spywork for, anyway?" Hornady asked.

"We're looking for the mammal of interest in the arson case." Judy pulled Park's picture up on her phone to show him.

"That's Park?" His horn twisted in a rhino shrug. He waved at the spectators across the street. "All these reindeer look the same, even when they're not wrapping up their antlers. But I don't think he's been through here."

Judy's ears twitched at the casual simplification, but she didn't respond. Shay looked too busy splitting her attention between her screen and Patch's progress to notice.

"Check it," Patch called over the radio.

"Good," Shay said. "Is it secure?"

"Yeah."

They watched as he finished his work and started to descend.

"Company," Hornady rumbled.

Nick turned to see a badger, a moose and a pig had broken off from the crowd to come investigate. He was faintly aware of Judy's ears rotating next to him, and Shay standing up to step away from her computer. Hornady was on his radio.

"What are you doing?" the moose asked.

"That's close enough," Hornady said.

"What's wrong with the cell tower?"

"Nothing," Judy said.

"Then what's that box that squirrel took up?" the badger asked. He had his phone out. "Why are you adding stuff to it? Police aren't supposed to mess with the network."

"It's part of our investigation into the fire here," Nick said. He had to remind himself to look the badger in the eye, instead of at the camera lens in his face.

"So you admit you are altering the tower," the moose said. "Is that a stingray? Do you have a warrant for everyone in range? For us?"

_Activists._ And not the reasonable, pause-for-breath kind, either. Nick suspected this footage would be online and inflaming things tonight, if it wasn't there already.

"We have a warrant for a mammal of interest," Judy said. "Case number SA-2071-2B. You can check it for yourselves at the courthouse-"

"And the rest of us?" They pushed forward, and Hornady moved to intercept. His feet shook the ground - which Nick guessed was intentional. The badger nearly ran into the massive hoof he held out.

"Sir, you need to step back."

"I have a right to record everything that goes on here. This is a public street."

"And this is a police scene. Your rights don't extend to what's on our computers. _Step back._ "

"Show us the warrant!" the moose called. Apparently he'd missed Judy's explanation.

They were getting attention, Nick saw, when he tore his eyes from the phone cameras pointed at them. There were more riot-padded police on their way from the line, and more mammals drifting this way from the crowds nearby. Patch hit the ground behind them with a clatter of carabiners.

It felt like the same runaway effect when attention had shifted the night they'd tangled with Everett the first time - except this time, they were right in the middle of it, and none of them had anything more than light armor if this was going to turn messy.

Nick moved closer to the others and motioned Judy to help Shay pack her gear. "Hornady, we're done here."

"Step back."

But the moose was dancing around to one side, away from the rhino's bulk, so he could see them working. He pointed them out.

"Are you getting this? ZPD officers Hornady, Wilde, Shayler-"

He was reading for the video's benefit. Nick put his back to him and stepped close to Judy.

"-And a rabbit and a squirrel. They're at 900 block Moraine in Tundratown, adding hardware to the PB&J cell tower, and they won't show us the warrant."

"Move back," Hornady barked. "Last warning."

The other officers arrived, and added their voices to the calls to separate. They were pointing with their batons, and holding out warning paws and hooves to the other members of the crowd. Someone was on the radio, calling for LRAD support.

"We good, Shay?" Nick asked, as quiet as he could. She was buckling the case, and nodded.

Now came the nice slow retreat toward their line. There was no other word for it, and Nick hated that he was already thinking that way, but these protesters hadn't given them any choice. They were pushing right along with them, right up in Hornady's face, yelling about overreach.

Nick didn't see it start. He was watching Judy, and Patch, when there was commotion behind them. Someone shoved a baton aside. Someone else put themselves in the way.

And Hornady put a hoof on the badger's chest and pushed, hard enough that he came off the ground before he sprawled on his back in the snow. The rhino drew his pepper gun and shot the downed mammal twice.

At least one of his companions leapt to his defense - but Nick saw Hornady's polar bear partner there, tangling his baton in the moose's antlers to wrench him headfirst to the ground.

The police closed ranks instantly, putting a wall of pads and riot shields between the two protesters and the rest of the crowd, and Nick ducked as the LRAD bathed everyone on the far side of that line with high-frequency noise. Mammals scattered.

He tightened up on the taser in his paws. He was close next to Shay, and Judy was opposite with her own gun out, between Patch and the altercation. She met his eyes.

"Get us out."

And now she did lead them quickly, because it hardly mattered anymore. The focus had gone from them to the confrontation itself. There was a deep thump and a fresh plume of dispersal gas on the eastern edge of the street, and an unfamiliar wolf in pursuit gear who flashed by, going after someone who was getting too close to the scene.

They made the cordon unchallenged, and their cruisers. Shay loaded their hardware and leaned hard on the door so it would snap shut. She reached up to strip her glasses.

_"Shit."_

Judy batted at Nick's careful attention and put her gun away. "I'm all right." She was focused on the others.

Patch had climbed up onto the big side-view mirror, and then right onto Shay's shoulder, so he would be at eye level with his partner. He had his paws on her unarmored neck.

"Not your fault."

"We were the ones who decided to do this now," she said. "I did."

"And we needed it," Patch said.

"You can't see stuff like this coming," Judy said. "But now we will see Park coming, if he shows up down here again." She looked back at the white plume that was already getting pushed around by the climate wall's winds. "That much was worth it."

Nick would have been slower to call it _worth it_. Necessary, yes, but they'd tripped over the worst timing possible and kicked off another melee single-pawed. And it was on video this time. That was going to come back to bite them, he had a feeling. There was very little reason to escalate the way ZPD had just then.

That was what Shay seemed to be thinking just now, too. This was one of her first real field actions, and it was already looking like a wake-up call for her. She put a hoof up so Patch could hold onto it.

He gave Nick a reluctant look. "Marki needs to hear about this, doesn't she?"

"Yes," Nick said, and when Shay's ears flickered back: "I'll do it. When we get back. Are you able to keep an eye on all the trackers from one spot?"

"I can."

"Then we should go back downtown."

Nick waited until they were in the car and on their way, and until Judy merged them onto the freeway and ticked on the cruise control. Only then did he reach for her paw.

"Worth it?" It was mostly rhetorical.

"Sorry, Nick."

"Marki's not going to like that we keep starting things. And if we keep it up Park's probably going to notice."

"We did exactly what we were supposed to." She had him like a vise. "They've been forcing the issue every chance they get. How else did they think that was going to end?"

The work of a lone thumb over hers wasn't going to do much to get the tension out of her paws, but it was all Nick was willing to try with the camera on the dash. "I don't think they expected to be arrested quite like that."

Judy looked over at him, for far longer than he wanted anyone driving at freeway speeds to take her eyes off the road. "We can't let them stop us from doing our jobs."

"I know." He stopped before he could say _sweetheart_ , and hoped his squeeze got through to her.

It still sounded like a justification of the way Hornady and the others had acted. No, their team wasn't the ones firing pepper rounds or swinging batons. But did that give them any ground to stand there and watch it happen?

Nick couldn't think of how they could have acted differently. Every time they got put in a corner now, Nick remembered how he had trained and retrained and gotten disciplinary remedial training to de-escalate. To communicate, and not give anyone reason to react with force or violence of their own that would endanger him or his fellow officers. Did Precinct 3 just not work the same way? Should they have tried to talk to Hornady?

It could have distracted him at just the wrong time, though, and that was what made this so hard to nail down. Judy had a point. Some of these mammals were dangerous. They'd proved that when they had nearly lost control of their scene and Everett had tried to flatten her. They'd proved it when Schafer and his pals had come within a whisper of forcing the issue downtown. Some didn't care who got in the way. Others were all too willing to make sure the police _did_ get in the way.

They would figure it out. Tonight, at some point, when their bodies caught up and realized the danger was past. They would both come down from the adrenaline and tension, and Nick resolved to be ready when it happened.

"We need to talk."

"I know."

It wasn't time yet, though. Nick let Judy's paw go and reached for the radio.


	13. Chapter 13

Their sergeant took it better than Nick had expected. She stood in the lobby where they'd met her with Fangmire and paid close, quiet attention. They both soured at the mention of Hornady's use of force, but Marki waited until they were done reporting - and then sent them home for the night so they would stay fresh. It rankled all of them, to leave the job to Precinct Three's more zealous members, but Nick was privately relieved to get them out of that situation, too.

He talked Judy into going with their friends on the train back to Rainforest, at least as far as the transit hub. They could take the sky tram back, and it would give them some of the time they both needed.

Especially since they had to ride out there in silence, thanks to all the curious and slightly wary residents on the early side of rush hour. He hadn't anticipated the audience here, either.

It was bugging Judy, too, if her ears were any indication, but Patch and Shay just kept their heads down in two appropriately-scaled seats and tapped away at their phones. From the rhythm, Nick assumed they were talking to each other.

Rainforest, with its fog and canopies, was heavy with imminent rain when they debarked. Nick took a deep breath of the ozone tang.

"It's quiet," Shay said. "Did we get lucky?"

"I don't think so." Patch pointed toward the ZPD cruisers parked one next to the other in the public servant slots at the end of the station. "Connelly's double-shifting."

Shay stilled and pointed her muzzle down that way to look, and sighed. "It's spreading, isn't it?"

In the rush of everything, Nick had forgotten Precinct Four had been weighing the possibility of locking down parts of Rainforest. Not that they would able to see it from here. Claremont's boilers were back in the trees, with only the plume of exhaust steam on the horizon to show they were there at all.

It was just as well Patch and Shay were on call with the investigative team and wouldn't be going out to staff any checkpoints. They were looking worn down enough as it was, without having to deal with more tension in what was supposed to be home.

"So-" Patch looked awkward. His tail was flicking. "Did you come looking for food? There are a couple places up north with something for everyone."

"Not this time, I think," Judy said, and looked up at Nick for confirmation. "We just needed some time out of the apartments."

Nick nodded. "To sort out what happened."

Patch looked up at Shay. "Told you it would help."

"It does," Nick said, when that seemed to make Shay relax a bit. This was weird, giving co-workers what amounted to relationship advice. They'd never confirmed it, technically. But he saw Patch's paw on his partner's knee. "Especially after something tense like today. If you talk it out now, it won't ambush you later."

"Thanks, guys. We'll give it a shot," Shay said. "Before tomorrow." They started for the stairs.

"See you then," Judy said.

"And get some rest," Nick called.

Judy had mustered a faint smile for him as they worked their own way toward the sky tram. They waited through the short line and boarded in silence, and let the cable whir away above them and carry them into the fog. She watched the dim lamp on the front of the car light up the trees. He watched her.

"We never did share that, did we?"

Nick put a paw on her neck. "It's a bit personal. Sorry."

"I think you're right that it will help," she said, and lowered her chin so he would have better access to stiff muscles. "Now they really need it. The way Patch got snapped at, and now this. That's a harder introduction to field work than I'd wish on anyone."

It wasn't supposed to be like this, either. They weren't supposed to automatically react to the mammals out here as a threat. They wasn't supposed to be comfortable in riot plates, or learning so quickly where to stand to keep clear of the tear gas. Nick wanted to remember the next time he drew his taser.

He pulled his careful pressure against Judy into a full hug, as their car bumped over the next suspension tower. Her claws made quiet scratching noises against the fabric of his uniform. He wondered if they were ever going to come through here without having a heart-to-heart.

"I need to know you're okay," he said in her ear.

"I want to be," she said. "But this is different. Bigger."

"I know, Carrots. Probably better than anyone."

She knew that. They had gone through two very different struggles not so long ago, and learned different things for their experiences. Nick was grateful that even with the case almost a year past now, they still gave that the respect it deserved. It still made them slow down.

Was it enough?

"I know we have to be careful," she said. "For you, for Patch and Shay, for all of them. I know all it takes is one wrong move and this will blow up. But I hate sitting here and waiting for Park to show. I hate watching what it's doing to our friends."

The air cooled, as they came abruptly out of the fogbank and into the higher elevations over the divide between Rainforest and Savanna Central. Below them, the lights of cars on the evening roads wound around the trees, toward the glow of city center.

The car tilted a bit under their weight when Nick sat them on one side of the built-in bench. This would let him lean back and get her closer. It was private up here.

"But it's doing things to us, too," he said. "I notice, which is better than nothing, but I worry that I'm noticing too late. After I've pulled a taser. After I've jumped in front of you because we didn't see who was gunning for us in time."

"That's the training," Judy said. "To keep you safe."

"Probably," Nick agreed. "But every time I do notice it, I stop and wonder if it was the right call."

She studied him. Her nose twitched, a few inches from his. "It is keeping you safe. I don't like protests any more than you do. But ZPD has to stop them from getting any worse."

Nick wasn't sure it was safe enough. They'd just come to blows over smartphones. What would happen when someone down there pulled an actual gun? There would be a riot.

They were playing this by the book, him because he had to, and because he had learned time and time again that it was the right way to react regardless. But even with Judy's help, and Patch's, and Shay's, it was a lot for a pawful of cops to hold down and make sense of. There was only so much they could control.

And Nick still wasn't sure how to sort through that, to find the balance he knew he had to. He would rather do too little, than too much. Only one of those could be fixed.

"There's a line out there, sweetheart," he said. "All of us are getting closer to it every time someone pushes up into our muzzles. And if we're not careful we won't notice until we've crossed it. That scares me."

She shook her head. "But we even tell them why, and they still don't listen. We can only work with that for so long until someone gets hurt," she said. "It scares me, too, but what choice do we have?"

"There's always a choice." And this was when it was most important, when they were up against the wall. Nick squeezed her closer. "Remember when Bellwether was still running around?" he asked. "You stopped. Left the force. To keep things from getting worse, to keep from hurting anyone."

"That was different," she said.

"Just slower," he disagreed. "I know you know how to do this."

She didn't like it. There was still some tension she was holding onto, that not even he could chase away with his claws. But Nick was ready to work on it, for the rest of this tram ride and for however long it took to get through to her.

Years in the city now, and Nick suspected it was still surprising her. She'd learned it wasn't all it was cracked up to be right when she'd arrived. He'd helped teach her that, too. But it was a message that sank in slowly - and sometimes painfully, thanks to that optimism she still carried so close.

Nick didn't want that to change, either.

They held on, until their car deposited them at the downtown terminal. The tram took them to his apartment, and Nick had to leave the rest until they were alone again, as they got ready for bed.

He leaned out of the bathroom with his toothbrush between his jaws. Judy was perched on the edge of the couch, knees drawn up to her chest.

When he'd rinsed he went to join her. One of her limp ears perked.

"I got a head start."

"It's fine." Nick sat next to her. "Did you finish that whole edge?"

"I think it's still missing two, there."

They were finding more and more pieces that fit. Judy had finished almost all of the swath of blue sky that showed underneath the sandstone arch in the picture. Nick had a separate set of pieces with green on them, where he was assembling the flowers that bloomed in the foreground. They'd even stopped dropping pieces between the couch and the table, which was nice.

It was calming Judy down. She was still tired, which meant they probably shouldn't keep this up much longer, but at least it was melting the stress out of her expression. His muzzle against her ears probably helped, too.

So Nick hated bringing it up, when they climbed into bed to share the sheets and pillows as they almost always did. But he had to be sure.

"Are you still sleeping?"

"For now." Judy nodded against him.

"I don't know if I need to say this, but you wake me up, if you need me."

She was nestled under his chin, small and warm and as close as she could get, and she still felt somehow distant. It was longer than he would have liked before she answered.

"Promise."

\---

Things didn't get any worse on the lines, at least.

They spent almost two days fine-tuning their network, and at least it was working. Park hadn't gone to his listed address since this whole thing started, as best they could tell. He popped up on scopes more frequently, but it was never one place for more than about half an hour.

They went through Schafer's place, in a swanky hotel in Tundratown that was probably nicer than his home had been. The duffel full of crisp bank notes they'd found suggested Park was indeed paying handsomely for his help. Forensics was going over the currency, but there was nothing immediately incriminating.

Their colleagues improved. Shay was back in her element, running the downtown sensor van, and much more comfortable for it. Patch spent a lot of time hooked onto various rooftops and tree limbs, while they built a better picture of who frequented the site.

And the quiet kept the protesters calmer. As far as Nick could tell, most of the mammals out here really were just uncomfortable with a deeply embedded company that was moving too fast, and they wanted to say their piece. It probably would have happened even without Park's malicious influence, since Claremont had stepped on so many tails in such a short time. But at least now the LRAD hadn't gone off for a good 24 hours.

The exception to the uneasy detente was Claremont herself. She was antsy.

She and her subordinates had insisted on visible police presence rather than stings. City Hall backed that decision, because it was safer for the critical infrastructure. Deterrence was a greater good, it seemed. The oversight board even sounded like it was about ready to cave to CEG's requests for more curfews.

But it meant ZPD couldn't draw anyone out. Park was never where they could get a net in place without drawing too much attention, so Marki didn't let them make any attempts to grab him.

Nick couldn't do much but repeat that when Claremont called them up to her office twice a day, to ask for updates. And no matter how often he told her ZPD was doing what they could, no matter how often Shay explained what she could of the stingray process, her quiet disappointment always stung.

But it felt different when he and Patch returned to the sensor van that late afternoon. Judy was at the fold-out table, studying a too-large file folder so intently all Nick could see was her alert ears over the top. Shay was digging through something on a second computer without even looking at its screen.

"What is it?"

"Park is in Tundratown again," Judy's ears said. "CEG just tipped us that he's harassing engineers."

"Does Marki know?"

"We're on our way," Shay said. She looked up as her screens flashed, and wrinkled her muzzle. "And the press is, too."

A local news feed showed a bouncing point of view as someone raced toward a knot of mammals standing off to one side. A reindeer reporter was pointing up at the wall as he hurried to stay out in front. It wasn't at the protest scene - Shay's stingray map showed this was two blocks west of the main tangle, well clear of ZPD.

And Nick saw him, just for an instant as the camera panned. They all did.

Park was right in the thick of it, talking earnestly to the protesters and waving at the engineers with their survey equipment. He had to know all of Precinct Three had his face on file now, and that CEG would have called him in the same way. This could bring most of the cops in the biome down on his head.

Marki was on the radio in Judy's paws, directing someone at Precinct 3 to close down intersections and get a perimeter in place.

"Two blocks?" Judy shook her head and toggled. "We know right where he is, Sergeant."

"1600 block of Moraine," Shay confirmed into her headset.

"We can't corner him with bystanders, Hopps."

The cameras got closer. Patch left the back of Shay's chair long enough to crank the volume. One voice was familiar, among the tense babble.

"CEG isn't sending anyone else to talk to us. If you don't like this part of your job, you can tell Claremont about it yourself. Maybe she'll listen to you."

The crowd seemed to be in agreement.

Park looked right into the camera and shook his head at the questions the reporter was launching at him. He held his hooves out at the others behind him. "No, don't talk to me, talk to these mammals. They're the ones CEG's ingoring. They're the ones they call the police down on, for trying to get their voices heard." He started to walk away.

"No, stay on him," Shay said. "Come on. Patch, call the station, quick. Those are the only video feeds we have right now."

But the camera crew was clearly more interested in the loud-and-getting-louder showdown on the sidewalk. Park slipped out of frame.

"Sergeant, we're losing him," Judy said. All they had to go on now was the stingray trace. It blinked its inexorable way toward the edge of the antenna's range.

Precinct Three had two of the four intersections blocked off. Marki was talking fast, for what that was worth, but as they watched the trace interval got larger, headed north away from the wall in the one gap that remained. Park was in a vehicle.

He must have known exactly how much time he had. He must have known - or assumed - that ZPD would try to cut him off. And as they watched he was slipping their net yet again, and vanishing deeper into Tundratown.

Judy's radio crackled another negative. She sat down hard in the little chair and put her head in her paws. Patch let his phone drop.

"Shayler."

"He's gone, Sergeant," Shay said. She pulled her glasses off. "Straight north."

"Gather everything you can. I'm coming to you."

The whir of the vent fans bounced around the van. Nick didn't have to go far to get to Judy. His paw on her shoulder probably helped.

Patch was moving in the quiet, too. He ducked to look his partner in the eye.

"If there's anyone who can pull this off-"

"I know." She replaced her glasses and tapped at her keyboards again, to call up camera feeds from the major intersections. "I know. I'll get us something. Someone will recognize his vehicle."

"And in the meantime we dance around this." Judy said, to no one in particular. Their partners' ears flicked back toward her. _"Again."_

Nick tightened his claws against her.

"The pressure's working," he said. "Do you really think he would risk baiting us like this otherwise?"

"Nick, we have nothing to show for it." Judy stood. He let her go. "Desperate just means more dangerous, for everyone, and we're going to get played like this each time we're slow about it." Judy stared at the screen, where the news stream showed Precinct Three cops wedging themselves into the middle of the argument and creating space. "The longer we take to go after him, the more time he has to do stuff like this. It's already all over the news. If someone gets hurt, that will be all over the news, too."

She had a point, he knew, much as it weighed on all of them to think about it. Every time Park created a new hotspot, the media and the angry public would fray nerves further. ZPD would have to shift that way to keep the peace, it would reinforce Park's narrative about muscle, and Claremont's patience would erode.

Nick's phone added a new tone to the mix. He checked the ID and soured. Like that. _Exactly_ like that.

"We saw it, Verdegrand. We're working on it."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Officer Wilde." The voice was female. Stressed. "We're supposed to contact you in the event of an incident."

"Can you get me Verdegrand?"

"He's already on his way to the scene."

"Have him link up with Precinct Three personnel, then. We'll be there as soon as we can."

"Our records don't show any police presence onsite, sir." She sounded confused. "We'd know about a priority call."

Nick stared at the map and cooled even further. His hackles stirred. "Then we'll go to him. Where is he?"

"It's a private address on the north edge of Tundratown."


	14. Chapter 14

The chilly wind was the same, and the tang of the pine forest that edged the property.

But Claremont's house was a lot less serene with all the windows punched in. Nick heard Judy draw breath as they pulled their cruiser up the long drive.

Even from the outside, it looked like a giant had taken an enormous bat to every plane of glass it could reach. The blinds were torn down and sliced through; a couch rested half through the shattered front window like it had been thrown there. Books and safety glass littered the rock landscaping.

"It's like Tundratown, all over again."

"At least they didn't set it on fire," Nick said. "I don't think."

The levity fell flat, right over her droopy ears as she dragged her attention away to look up at him.

"How did we miss this?"

"She keeps a low profile." They got out of the car, and Nick could hear the sound of the wind making the house creak and clank from all the way down here. "She's probably wondering the same thing."

They'd left the others at the sensor van, because Nick was half-convinced this was just another ploy to draw them off something even more important. Patch hadn't liked staying behind, but Shay just wasn't enough field presence on her own if something went down.

They weren't likely to have that problem here. The forensics van had beaten them here, and a pair of competent-looking wolves from Precinct 3. They were starting their perimeter.

Claremont stood with Verdegrand at the end of the driveway proper. Her tail was cracking like a whip. She turned as they came up.

"Are you all right, Ma'am?"

"Fine. We came here from downtown."

Judy had her notebook out. "Did you have any idea this was coming?"

"I would have shared it, Officer Hopps." Her ears were still on the house. "I caught the end of Park's little stunt, but this is not what I expected."

They should have expected something. But Nick couldn't kick himself for it now. Park had targets all over the city to choose from. "Did he know where you lived?"

"No."

"Did Schafer?"

"No employees," Verdegrand said. He had a camera in his hooves. "Except for me and select security staff. We keep lists for that sort of thing."

"I want to go inside," Claremont said.

"It's not secure," Nick said. "And even when it is, it'll be a crime scene."

She frowned down at him. "How long?"

"The techs will work as quickly as they can, but it will depend on what they find," Nick said. "Was there anything dangerous inside? Weapons? Anything flammable or explosive?"

Claremont raised an eyebrow. "There's a taser in my nightstand. The rest is data. Backups."

"Encrypted?" Nick asked. It was the sort of thing Shay would want to know.

"Of course."

"We'll talk to forensics," Judy said.

Nick couldn't help the frown. "We will?"

"I'm not promising anything." Judy held her pad and pen out in spread paws. "But maybe they'll be able to move fast." She pointed to Verdegrand's camera. "That's what you're here for, right? You're investigating, too."

"Yes."

"Then we'll do what we can."

Judy turned to find the scene techs. Nick followed.

He didn't have to say anything, either. His look was enough.

"I had to give her _something_ ," she said.

"Forensics isn't going to like us rushing this, either," Nick pointed out. "They're sticklers for their procedure, and for good reason."

"She just lost her house," Judy said. Her ears fell again as they came around the corner of the building into the full force of the wind rushing off the grassy foothills. The angles of the house were built, probably intentionally, to slice through the oncoming air like the bow of a ship through the water. Now it was moaning through holes in the glass, above head height on Nick. They'd been made from the inside. "Like you said, she keeps quiet about it. She wouldn't get in the way, and she might be able to help."

This wasn't their first home invasion, Nick wanted to say. No, they hadn't spent a week getting to know any of those other victims. They had more of the context this time.

But that meant the caution had to stay even more firmly in place. Park had cut his way out of ZPD's last net like it was nothing. They couldn't let frustration at setbacks and taunting drive their decisions.

Not that Claremont looked all that worked up. That part was odd. Nick could see her sitting in the open passenger's seat of her car with a laptop on her knees - focused, maybe, or grim, but not shaken. Verdegrand was fiddling with his camera, getting wide-angle shots of the damage.

The forensics team - a relatively small elephant and his wolf partner from Precinct Three - insisted on booties before they let Nick and Judy through what remained of the front door. They looked at each other when Judy floated her proposal.

"Don't count on it," the wolf said.

"They did a very thorough job of this," her partner agreed. His voice was oddly pinched, thanks to the sterile wrap he had over the end of his trunk. "It will take days to go over, probably, and we have two more teams coming in to help."

"I think she just needs to see it," Judy said. "In and out. She doesn't like being in the dark."

"We'll see," the elephant said. "But if she wants these perps, she'd better let us work."

It was worse, Nick judged, in the enclosed interior. The house had been bright and airy before, all smooth, sharp lines. Now there were gashes everywhere - huge ones dragged in the plank flooring, bending the brushed steel railings. Kitchen glass littered one corner of the greatroom. The driftwood that had been the centerpiece of the house was splintered and hacked apart.

They made their way down the main hallway, slowly so they could see any glass coming. The power was out, either because of damage or for safety. He felt his eyes adjusting.

On the right was a bathroom, with toiletries scattered over the chiclet tiles. Nick heard dripping water. The office looked like a high-end library had exploded.

But the bedroom at the end of the corridor was most unsettling. Judy tensed next to him.

It was hard to mangle memory foam, but whoever this was had done a decent job. The grey silk sheets were cut to ribbons that fluttered in the breeze from the damaged windows. The pillows had been stabbed repeatedly. Clothing of all styles was strewn everywhere, and there was another long furrow torn in the hardwood here, for no apparent reason.

"How big does a mammal have to be to go through bamboo composite like that?" Nick asked.

"Everett, you think?"

"Possible. Probable, even. I really don't like this."

Judy let her breath out. "I think they knew she wasn't going to be home."

"Yeah," Nick said. His claws tapped on the hardwood. "This was messy. On purpose." _We can get to you, where and when you least expect it._

"And she said nobody knew where she lived." Judy backed out of the room and gave her head a little shake, as if to clear it. "So does she have a leak, or was she followed?"

"Would you risk drawing Verdegrand's attention?" Nick asked.

"No, I wouldn't."

"No. So my guess is she picked up a tail." Nick led the way back down the hallway. It had him thinking. "We should find out how she travels to and from work, and what kind of surveillance she has around here."

They got out of the forensic team's fur after that, to walk a long loop around the perimeter again. Whoever had been here had even climbed to the roof to shatter the solar array, one panel at a time.

Nick didn't see any obvious cameras, even when they checked into the forest a bit, just in case. There wasn't a gate on the drive. But Claremont didn't strike Nick as the type to rely on security through obscurity, either, even if she did live all the way out here.

What did that feel like? That there was nowhere safe, even with all the precautions you took? And Claremont was dealing with that 24-7 now. They hadn't seen it coming.

_I know where you live,_ Baird had said. It could still shift his hackles. To this day, Nick still didn't know if the koala had been bluffing.

"You okay, Nick?"

Judy had her paw on his arm.

She knew, because they shared everything, but this wasn't the place to bring it up again. They were still on the clock.

"It'll keep."

"Is it about the case?"

"Not this one."

"Oh." She looked up. But she seemed to recognize that they'd have to sit on it, too.

But it was getting close to twilight. They didn't have cameras just now. And with the fields to the east Nick was pretty sure there wasn't anyone who could ever see what went on on this side of the house. He grabbed her paw while they finished their loop, and saw her ears lift just a bit.

Six techs spent two hours beavering away at the scene - one of them literally. Verdegrand had finished his exterior photos a long time ago. Now he was talking to the police who had been assigned to watch over the scene. Claremont was still on her computer, and on her phone.

Nick sat in the cruiser with Judy and updated Shay with a quick conference call of their own, until he spotted the wolf from before coming down the main walk toward them.

"We've tagged and imaged everything," she said when Nick ducked out, and looked over at where Claremont, too, had noticed the new activity. She was standing at the edge of the driveway again. "She can tour if she wants, but stay with her, yeah? Remind her that anything she removes we have to record first."

"We will do. Thanks."

And Claremont was more restless now, at least by her standards, when they went to meet her. She uncrossed her arms as they drew up.

"We can all go in and look around," Judy said. "But you'll have to wear foot wraps, and anything you want to take, the forensics mammals need to know about."

"Fine." Claremont led the way.

They covered their feet again, on the square of plastic sheeting near the front door.

The tiger stopped short when they pushed through the door, but only for the time it took her to take in greatroom. Verdegrand's camera started back up. Nick stayed along the wall by the door. They'd seen this already; now they needed to stay out of his way.

"How many intruders?" Claremont asked.

"We've identified at least three sets of partial tracks," one of the techs said, from the corner where he had his own camera and clipboard.

"Species? Scales?" She turned to him.

"Um." He checked his clipboard again and frowned up at Claremont. "It's ongoing, Ma'am."

"It's my house. And we're running our own probe, too. Anything you can give me."

The tech looked lost. Nick just shrugged at him. If he didn't share, Judy was probably going to.

"Two ungulates," he said. "Not big ones. And a predator, maybe a polar bear."

"Any fur traces?"

"We can't confirm anything yet, Ma'am-"

Claremont had wheeled, to gloss over the kitchen and the seating area with its couch through the window. She didn't react much, until she came to the driftwood. Her ears flattened at the damage. Nick saw the muscles in her neck shifting under her stripes.

"What kind of tools were they using?"

"Axes, maybe, or fire picks. There's blunt and edged marks everywhere."

"They had maybe ten minutes, from when the first alarms went off to when we arrived." Claremont looked to her security chief for confirmation. "It's not enough time to grab data."

She stepped over the furrow in the entry hardwood and made for the office. Nick and Judy followed.

Two computer monitors had been shattered and knocked off their mounting arms. The floor was a mess of files and books from the shelves. What Nick guessed was an authentic Hirshorn chair in the corner sported a set of matched gashes in the cushions.

A large safe in the corner was still secure, though it looked as if someone had tried their best to get in. There were scratches around the hinges.

"Hard drives gone, and a laptop," Claremont said.

"What's in the safe, Ma'am?" Judy asked.

"CEG letterhead. Cash. Some blank CDs and flash drives."

"To deter petty burglars," Verdegrand rumbled. He didn't look up from his camera. "The IT chief's idea."

"What about your security system?" Nick asked. "Do you have video footage? Data from the alarms?"

"All on servers downtown," Claremont said.

"Officer Shayler will want a crack at it, if you can share."

"Done."

She stalked out again, and again took the sight of her ruined bedroom far better than Nick expected. She didn't seem to notice at the mattress, or the closets. She went straight for a partition on the far side of the room and vanished. Judy focused up beside Nick. They'd missed something, it seemed.

There was a narrow staircase in the same wood as the rest of the house on the other side of the low wall, leading down to a basement. The door at the bottom was already ajar, and the power was still on down here. This, Claremont did react to. Nick almost felt the tiger's growl as they followed her through, and couldn't help a whisper of intrigue himself.

But instead of some hidden vault it was a compact gymnasium, lit with muted spotlamps bounced off the concrete walls. It smelled like tiger. There were overhead bars and rings hung in one corner, and a high-end spin bike on its side in the other. The floor-to-ceiling mirror on the far wall was spiderwebbed with cracks from four separate impact points.

Claremont's headstripes flickered and danced over them as she crossed the room. She crouched by a compact shelving unit and put a paw on a heavy-looking box on the bottom row.

"Another safe?" Judy guessed.

"It's not active IP, but it's still valuable." It opened at her code with a click and thunk of precise mechanisms and yielded two compact hard drives. Claremont drew them out and studied them carefully. "They missed it, or they didn't care."

Verdegrand took just one picture of the damage down here before he slung his camera on its strap. He accepted the hardware and it vanished into his jacket. "I don't think it was ever about a grab, Ma'am."

"No." Claremont crossed to the wooden rings and curled a practiced a paw around one of them. Nick heard its straps creaking as she pulled down on it. "This was a message. Park doesn't gain anything with it."

"He always stands to gain something, Ma'am," Nick said. "He might be reckless, and angrier than ever, but he's learning how to draw us off. That's been his pattern since this whole thing started. It worked this afternoon."

It was a sound tactic, as long as you could think at least a step or two ahead of your opponent. The only way Claremont could defend against it was to harden everything important, all at once. Even with ZPD's help, there wasn't enough mammalpower.

"Then how does this fit that pattern?" she asked. Her attention was sharp. "There's no other data related to my work here. No revenue stream or infrastructure to topple." She pointed to the rest of the house above them. "The building itself can be replaced down to the studs, almost overnight. We designed it to be modular."

"We don't know how it fits for sure yet," Nick allowed. "Lab tests haven't even started. But it's like you said. You should consider that he might be targeting you specifically. He or someone he's working with knows where you live. They might be tracking your movements."

"Indeed." Claremont eyed the shattered mirrors and started for the stairway. "He's welcome to test his luck in the next days, then. The more time he spends near any monitored sites, the better your odds get."

Judy gave him an alarmed glance. "Ma'am, with respect, if Park goes after something in Rainforest - like you think he might - ZPD will be putting out little fires on three fronts at once."

Claremont turned, in the breeze coming through the ruined bedroom windows. Now, Nick could see, her impassive front was starting to give over to simmering anger. Judy winced.

"It was a figure of speech, Ma'am. A poor one. Sorry."

"We're ready to increase our own security presence to assist," she said, and waved it away with a flash of claws. "Especially if ZPD's leadership can't commit the mammalpower. The sooner work is finished, the sooner the unrest in Tundratown will lose its point of focus. Park will have one less thing to agitate about."

Nick was feeling out of his depth. But the logic tracked clean. "That's true, Ma'am."

"My board will back me. And I'll speak to the city's councilmembers myself - even the mayor, if I have to."

Verdegrand's hoof tapped on the floorboards. Maybe he sensed the tension.

"It might buy you some time, Ma'am," he said, and tilted his antlers in a shrug. "It might not. We still don't know what Park is prepared to do."

"I know the risks, Verdegrand." Now she gave him her steady focus. "I won't let him intimidate me."

"It will be hard enough to convince the board to let you keep heading this up, after what happened here." he said. There was something to be said for scale, Nick thought, or maybe familiarity. He wasn't backing down at all. "One step at a time."

Claremont stared right through the ruined mattress in front of her and exhaled a careful breath. "We'll talk about that on the way back," she said. _Where the cops wouldn't hear_ , in other words. "They're meeting tomorrow anyway."

Judy cleared her throat, when they were following her back down the hall. Forensics was still laying out some scene tags.

"To remind you, Ma'am, if you take anything else with you, we need to know about it. For our records."

"There's nothing else here that can't wait," she said. "Assuming ZPD will have the property under guard now."

Nick watched Judy's ears twitch, just a bit. That wasn't fair. None of them had seen this coming. "Twenty four-seven, Ma'am," she said.

"Good." Verdegrand had the door for her, but Claremont had stopped to stand in the center of the room again, where she was frowning down at the splintered remains of her sculpture. "We'll share anything we find in the footage. Please do the same."


	15. Chapter 15

Claremont might have been steady about the whole thing, but Judy was still trying to process the intimacy of the break-in hours later, when they met back downtown to draw up new action plans.

She saw a wrecked couch every time she closed her eyes now. But it wasn't the gray one Claremont kept. Instead, she kept getting flashes of Nick's, the big green one sitting in her apartment, with its stuffing not just worn down with age but torn out with intent. She thought of toothbrushes and clothing and the mugs they shared, scattered across his bedroom. What drove a mammal to that kind of intimidation? Would they ever make enemies who would leave their doors hanging off their hinges?

She tried to put it out of her head. They'd both taken the scene poorly. Nick was going to ask about it, the next time they were alone, and she would have to share with him. But until then they had more than enough to worry about.

Marki was a role model of stubborn focus. She was leaning forward on the briefing room table with both paws, to watch Shay's laptop screen as it replayed the early footage from Claremont's residence. Fangmire was nearby, as usual. They were all quiet, even though there was no sound playing along.

From its position over the door, the security camera had caught a polar bear, an antelope - and a lighter canid they hadn't quite identified yet. They'd fanned out through the living room with fire axes and crowbars. One had approached the camera and the feed had died almost immediately.

"Ten minutes," Marki said.

"Nine minutes, forty seconds," Shay confirmed. "That's what the data from the motion trackers and threshold magnets say."

"ID?"

"The cameras didn't get a conclusive look. All three of them wore muzzle and antler wraps." Shay shot a sympathetic glance at her partner, standing on the table next to her. "But height and weight estimates match to Everett, from the arrests in Tundratown a few days ago."

Judy hated the look in Patch's eyes right now. If there was just one thing she could change about how this investigation was playing out, it would be to pin everyone involved in place until they finally understood what was going on. But they just hadn't had cause when it mattered - and whoever was representing this gang was just too good at their job.

"How did they locate the house?" Marki asked.

"Someone had to have followed her," Nick said. He had a cup of coffee. "That, or CEG has a leak, but she shot that one down when we asked."

Not that the former was any more comforting, Judy thought. Every dent they made in Park's organization - and there was clear organization, if he could coordinate his messaging and operations to draw off the police this well - just showed how much more they had to uncover.

"The courts gave us subpoena power over Park's cell records," Shay said. "We won't have to clear our tracking requests ahead of time, if he decides to stick his snout in a news broadcast again. And the location warrants for Everett cleared, for the same reason." She spread her hooves. "But that's it."

"Lab work?" Marki asked.

"Pending. Sorry, Ma'am."

"Then we need to think further ahead than Park can," Fangmire put in from his end of the table. "Outside the box. What's the last thing we would expect from him right now?"

"Him going straight for Claremont herself?" Patch suggested.

"Then we put officers on her, round the clock." He raised his eyebrows at Marki. "With a break-in like this she might be eligible for witness custody anyway. We need her new schedule."

Nick was frowning. "Will she go for that? We don't know where she's staying, now that her house is a crime scene."

"The city might not have any choice, though," Judy said. "Right? It's a public safety issue now."

He screwed up his muzzle and rubbed at his neck. "I can't see much getting past Verdegrand."

"I'll do it," Patch said.

They all looked, but Shay jerked her head up, fixing him with her big ears as if she hadn't heard right.

"Someone has to." He shook his head at her reaction. "Listen, if we're right, if Park likes drawing us off his real targets, how can we know he won't wait until we're distracted with something new and then send Everett out to find her? He might even go himself."

"Everett's less than 72 hours on bail," Shay said.

"And right back into the felonies," Patch countered. He waved at the screen and got on tiptoe to see down the table. "Like you said, Captain Fangmire. They're acting reckless. They're spoiling for fights. But we might be able to use that."

"It's so dangerous, Patch. If you're right and they see you there, they're just going to get angrier," Shay said.

Patch got a sad smile. "I can deal with that. I've already done it once."

"It would backfire too easily." Shay shook her head. "And you don't know Claremont's routines like Nick and Judy do."

"Your skill set could be critical if anything comes of the lab results," Marki told him. "For now I want you on call, in case we go to Rainforest."

He nodded, but the tension curling through his tail was slow to drain. "Yes, Ma'am."

"Hopps, you and Wilde sign out an unmarked car and gather what you need for an early morning. Expect shift details within the hour."

\---

The lobby was usually quiet this time of night to begin with, but with most of second shift on protest detail, there wasn't a mammal to be seen. Even Clawhauser was already out for the night.

Judy stood with the others in the corner, while they waited for Shay to retrieve the rest of her equipment from the offices. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Patch studying the lowest shelf of placards and cups the Precinct staff had accumulated over the years, for public service and dedication to duty.

"Your collection here is larger than ours," he said.

"Up until a couple years before I joined, we had more officers," Judy said.

Patch turned around, when he saw that she was watching him. "Sorry for the drama in briefing."

Nick nudged her. "Marki's dealt with a lot worse from the two of us. Don't worry about it."

That just made Patch's ears drop further. He sighed. "You know what it's like waiting for something to click," he said. "And, I guess, what it's like wondering if you'll be able to do the job they ask you to."

"Patch, we wouldn't be able to do any of this without the two of you. Don't ever think it's not working." Judy watched him. "I take it that's what Shay's worried about."

His tail squirmed around behind him as he nodded. "We talk about it. A lot. This case is going right past what we ever considered normal."

Wasn't that the truth. Small officers in a big world was irrelevant - except for when it was inescapable.

"As long as you're all right." She would check, just in case. He'd held up so well so far.

"I will be. I am." Patch nodded. "Those lab tests - if Park's been hiring more help, someone will need to follow the money. Or maybe we can go see about more stingrays."

Nick frowned. "We've got to be using most of ZPD's stock by now."

Patch shrugged. "Maybe. But if it helps, it's worth it."

Shay was on her way back now, with a computer case in one hoof. Patch curled his tail briefly against one of her legs, and she gave him a patient smile.

They said their goodnights and went their separate ways: them to Rainforest, and Judy and Nick to her apartment.

"I'm packing," she guessed, as he closed the door behind them. She didn't bother with the light; there was just enough ambient glow coming through the window to show her where to find what few clothes and sundries she didn't already have at his place. She would need her charging cradles, for her taser and radio.

"Yeah, I'm closer." Nick would be able to see even better than she would in the dimness. He came up behind her and paused her where she was by the couch, with careful paws against her so she tipped against him. His own stab vest brought her up shorter than she would have liked.

But his breath was hot against the base of her ear. Judy squeezed him back and let him make sure she was okay. It was their first time alone together in close to fifteen long, long hours, and he was clearly feeling it as sorely as she was.

"I was remembering Baird, this afternoon," he said eventually. "About him knowing where I lived."

"Not you, too." Judy turned to face him. This would be for the best, to process the day before they even made it to where they would sleep for the night. She suspected it was going to be the kind of night that called for close contact and not a lot of talking. "He never went through with it."

"No." Nick said. He searched her face. "I like to think he was bluffing."

Judy looked at the chain he had secured on her door, even for this short visit.

"We're not the targets here," he said, when he noticed. "No matter what Everett or Schafer says. We're the small potatoes this time." He seemed to be convincing himself, too, because now his tail swept up to wrap around her, too. "The speed bumps. I know we haven't been able to predict what these guys do, but they haven't even twitched in our direction."

Poor Patch. If anyone had to be worried about unexpected guests, it would be him. The odds were low, like Nick had said. But they weren't zero. Everett probably blamed him for getting Schafer arrested. "I know."

"We can have Marki put us on the check-in list if you want. Someone on beat will come by when we're not home, to make sure things are okay."

"No, you're right."

"Okay. Finish packing your stuff." Nick let her go with one last squeeze and went to rummage in the little fridge. "I'll figure out what to do for dinner. Do you want carrots on your salad, or green beans?"

It helped, and quite a bit. Nick got a bag of prepared salad on the way to his apartment for the sake of speed, and they shared the baby greens and a can of soup for dinner.

But it was hard to sit and sort through the puzzle. Judy was as likely to think of scattered fragments of safety glass as she was scattered jigsaw pieces right now. She slotted just a few before she had to stop.

"It's like the windows," she said, when Nick tilted his head at her.

He put his pieces down and reached for her.

"We can pause it for tonight, then," he said when she was wrapped safely in his arms. "Do you want to talk?"

"We already did," Judy said. "I guess I'm just not over the reminders yet."

His breath warmed her forehead where he kissed her. "Really?"

It made her stop and look at it again, from a step back, and something in her sank.

Nick knew as well as she did. She could see him trying to hide the same quiet heartbreak, at how their coping mechanism felt so shallow and necessary.

"I hate that this is like a _facade_ ," she said. Nick's chest ruff muffled her voice. "I wish we could do this for us. Not because we have to."

"Carrots."

"I'm sorry."

"Me, too." He drew his knees and his tail up around her, too. "Can we go for an ill-advised late-night walk?"

\---

They wandered around the block, away from Nick's newer building and the plaza out front to the sidewalks along the older brownstones. There was no destination or goal, other than taking in the city. It had rained here this afternoon, however briefly. Judy savored the tang of the ozone on the blacktop and willed it to clear her head.

"We are going to finish it," Nick said. "On our terms."

With the second rush of the nocturnal shift change past, Judy could reach up for Nick's paw without getting any weird looks at all. "Do you think about it at work?"

Nick's ears went reluctant. He nodded. "Even when it's a distraction."

"I think that might mean it's working after all," Judy said. She rubbed her thumb against his.

His ears stayed down. "It beats worrying about someone going after Claremont like this. I don't think she knows she's going to drag all of us along behind her."

_More, faster_ wasn't exactly the safest way to help the police draw out Park. Judy knew that. But what other choice did Claremont have? She couldn't let the wall melt.

"We'll keep up," Judy said. "We have to."

They paused at the corner, where the trees and streetlights of the evening sidewalk stretched down ahead of them.

Nick was drawing on her. She could feel it in his squeeze. But she could feel him settling, too, and it settled her.

The windows on the other side of the walk were like a private gallery of domestic idyll, where mammals of all species and sizes were going about late-night routines. They watched ears and antlers behind television sets as they went by, and lights flick on and off in upstairs bedrooms.

And when they'd finished their circuit, Judy was well and truly tired. Their puzzle would wait. She nestled into Nick's reassuring arms in bed, and didn't dream of broken windows.


	16. Chapter 16

A pair of alarms dragged at them, at 5 that same morning. Claremont got an early start.

Judy had managed to sit Nick up on the edge of the couch with the steam from a big mug of coffee, but he was still wrapped up in the blanket they'd slept under.

"What could she possibly-" he had to stop for a cavernous yawn. "-be doing this _early?_ It's still dark out, almost."

"The schedule doesn't say," Judy said. She tugged on her fresh suit. "Just that we're supposed to be at Pinnacle and calling Verdegrand by six. Do you have breakfast?"

"Granola bars in a box on the counter. Unless you think Claremont will give us donuts."

Judy rolled patient eyes. "We'll take the whole thing. Come on, get dressed."

Their grey car was one of the only ones out on the roads this early, even downtown. The persistent barricades on either end of the block might have helped. It all started to crawl back in past the night off: This was an active protest zone. Judy could see the edges of a few tents and awnings set up on the north edge.

Nick called them in at ten till six when they came around the corner, and the garage door triggered for them like they had their own transponder. Verdegrand was waiting at the door to the interior. He swiped a keycard over the reader and held it open for them.

"Good morning, officers."

"Quiet night, I take it?" Nick asked.

"Yes." He led them over to the elevators and pressed the down button. "I left Claremont in the gym. She'd like to speak with you before the meetings start."

"A gym, here?" Judy didn't know why she was impressed. ZPD had one in each of its precinct headquarters, after all.

"And executive suites, and a decent pantry," Verdegrand said. His eyes tightened with some strained humor, where he was watching the numbers tick down through multiple basements. "Just as well the Pinnacle building is more secure than her home is. It takes more than a ransacking to get her to change her schedule."

The gym was spotless and comprehensive, and Claremont had it almost entirely to herself this early, save for a couple mice in fancy-looking exercise wheels up front. She was on the other side by the ranks of large-scale treadmills and free weights, finishing a set on the rings above them.

The compression top left her arms bare; Judy could see her stripes exaggerating their slight tremble from the strain of the dips. But the rings didn't sway at all. She dipped an ear in acknowledgement, but didn't look down.

"Gets full points from the fox judge," Nick muttered as Verdegrand led them to one side just inside the entrance. Judy suppressed the smile.

Claremont dropped onto the mat flooring and brushed her paws together.

"You're here earlier than I expected. I would have cleaned up sooner."

"It's all right, Ma'am." Judy reached up to shake. "Any trouble last night?"

"No." Claremont plucked a bottle from a nearby weight bench, full of something green. "And none at any of our sites, either. Can you share any progress on your forensics?"

Straight into it, then. If nothing else, Judy admired that work ethic.

"The lab is working on traces from all three mammals on the camera footage," she said. That was safe enough to share, and Claremont would have guessed as much from watching it herself. "We think we've identified a polar bear connected to Schafer."

"The one you arrested less than a week ago?" Claremont pointed out. "Our reports say he was at Tundratown."

"Yes, ma'am." Judy tried to let it slide off. She was no more thrilled with the legal strings Everett's lawyers had pulled than Claremont was. "Multiple felony charges will let us keep him this time."

"When?"

"A few hours, if he shows at his address."

She dipped her head in a curt nod, apparently content to not even comment on the odds. "You'll be coordinating with Verdegrand, then. I'll be in meetings all day." She turned to lead the way out of the gym and went left, toward the marked locker rooms at the end of the hallway. Judy caught Nick's raised eyebrow, and wondered if she would be expected to follow Claremont right inside.

But she stopped at one of the benches in front of the gym's wide windows, to accept a tablet Verdegrand had pulled from somewhere.

"Morning operations report," she explained as she scrolled. "We're on schedule. There are about a hundred families left in the shadow right now. As long as there are no major disturbances, we expect to have them all on their way by the end of the day. We'll be going down there to check on power balances tonight."

"Are you starting demolition or something?" Nick asked.

"Tomorrow." Claremont passed it back. "I'll come find you this afternoon if I can, but if something critical comes up before then, tell Verdegrand. He'll get it to me."

\---

It was awfully paws-off, for close protection. But Claremont had a schedule to keep, and they weren't exactly dressed for a day full of board meetings. Verdegrand had a point, too: Pinnacle was as effective a corporate fortress as one could build in the city.

With Claremont sequestered and nothing to do but wait for updates from the rest of the field team, Judy and Nick spent much of the day familiarizing themselves with the place. Verdegrand showed them the floors of standard open-plan office, and the high-ceilinged R&D wings on the floors below. Most of CEG's tech came from these labs: refrigerant pumps for the climate wall, solar cells or improved carbon capture filters. Some of the translucent cleanrooms showed radiological labels, where CEG was starting to get serious about next-generation fission.

Verdegrand spoke with the familiarity of a veteran who had soaked up some knowledge just from his proximity to Claremont, but a lot of it went right over Judy's head. She didn't start paying close attention until they came to the security floor.

It was right across the hall from the server room, in a dim amphitheater behind its own glass doors that made it look like something out of an action movie. But Verdegrand greeted every mammal there by name and showed Judy the camera feeds and utility maps that spread across all the city, and she got a new appreciation for the investigative work the company was doing. Short of the stuff they would have needed warrants for, Claremont's dossiers were as comprehensive as ZPD's.

"You might get a break before we do because of that," Verdegrand said when she brought it up. "If you're right about a tail, every edge will help, especially with the area we have to cover. Claremont does appreciate that."

"Where do you put Park last?" she asked.

"Getting out of a car in Rainforest, at the main train station," Verdegrand said. "We think. Until our engineers are done reworking their software, we have to use our own eyes on the footage."

"When was that?"

"Shortly before the break-in. Less than an hour."

He wouldn't mention Claremont's house specifically, then, even here. He'd been serious about the secrecy she kept.

"Can you show me?"

Verdegrand turned to a pika at one of the small-scale desks nearby. "Help us out, Anders?"

She paused her live surveillance of one of the utility conduits that ran between Rainforest and Tundratown, where it seemed to be business as usual, and cued up the relevant timestamps. Her monitors mirrored to one of the big ones at the front of the room.

A black, mid-scale SUV rolled to a stop at the bottom right of the frame and killed its running lights. Two reindeer climbed out and walked away from the camera, toward the transit hub in the distance.

"I know those antlers," Nick said. Park - if it was Park - was on his phone.

"We lose him in the crowd," Anders said. She scrubbed her playwheel and the action sped up. Mammals of all shapes and sizes swarmed around the distant station as a train arrived. "There. And this is as far east as our cameras go until you get to the maintenance tunnels in the biome line. All we know is he went into Tundratown."

"We might be able to help with that." Judy pulled out her phone and tapped the timestamps into an email to Shay. "Verdegrand, we need to make a couple calls."

\---

He did them one better. The conference room he left them in had a full videoconference setup, complete with automated blinds that Nick had quickly discovered were motorized.

Judy rolled her eyes at where he was sending the shades up and down and tapped out her credentials for the police VPN. A few minutes later she had Shay on video.

"I got your email," she said, when she'd pulled her headset mic down into position. She was in a sensor van somewhere - maybe just a couple blocks north, if she hadn't moved to support Marki for a grab attempt on Everett. "I'm checking on it now."

"You can do that from there?"

"Nothing else to do but wait and watch the scopes. Everett is another point to track now."

"Patch, too?"

"It's our best lead." It sounded like she said it a lot.

"We'll get him," Judy said. "And this time we can hold onto him properly, to start getting some answers."

Shay looked grateful for the reassurance, if a bit distracted. Her ears were down and she spent a long time drinking from her thermos while they waited.

"Okay, I've got Claremont's cams. Syncing to the municipal database." She pushed her glasses up and frowned at something on a different screen. "The motion matches, but-" she grimaced. "This is going to take time, and more hardware. I have all the cam feeds I care to access, but you can't automate recognition from scratch."

"That's what Verdegrand said, too."

"And if he gets in the right blind spot, it goes cold." Shay's ears wavered. "But I'll take it. I can't do it now, but when we're done here I'll go break this down at the office."

"It's a lot of footage," Nick said. "You know someone you can get to help? Precinct One usually has techs free."

"I was going to be back at my desk anyway." Shay shook her head. "And I know what we're looking for. I'll get it done."

"You don't have to do it all yourself, you know," Judy said.

"Yeah." Nick looked down at her. "Judy might not say so where you can hear, but it is possible to burn out a bit."

She scowled at him.

Shay was studying one of the screen off to the side, as if she were reluctant to face them. "Patch is counting on me."

"Is he there with you?" Judy asked.

"Watching Everett's," she said, and nodded toward whatever had her attention. "And I'm watching him."

"Wait, now?" Nick had tensed.

Judy felt it, too. The others hadn't been put back to work downtown immediately, it was true, but Patch was supposed to be on standby in case they moved on the lab results.

"He wants to be sure," Shay said, and this time she did get guilted into looking at the camera. "I didn't like it in the planning meeting, but he's right. We need this, guys. Everett is most likely to be following Claremont."

"Does Marki know?" Nick asked.

"She knows we're placing another stingray. We have the warrants."

But that had to have been hours ago, if she and Patch had started at the normal shift time.

"Shay."

They could hear her typing in the dragging dead air. "I don't let him get out of visual range."

"So, what, he's up a tree?" Nick demanded. "Shay, you need more prep than that. If you don't have backup-"

"He could get hurt," she said. Now her gaze was fixed on the other screen. "I know. I tell him that every time."

Every time. Judy could feel her ears cooling. Nick's claws were tapping on the composite conference table.

_"Get him out,"_ he said. "I know I don't outrank you, but please. Just get to somewhere with backup at the very least. Marki's busy, and we're too far to get to you if something goes wrong."

"No, you're right." It took her a while to nod, and then she must have opened another channel. "Patch, it's time to come back."

Judy knew that tone a little too well. "We'll talk to Marki about it the next time we see her."

"Let Patch do it." She hesitated around the words. "If you can. It was his idea, and he knows it." She gave them a grateful look. "We'll go back downtown for now."

It was an effort to keep her ears up and forward, with Nick so hot beside her. "Thanks, Shay. Go safe."

The call ended.

_"Go safe?"_

"Nick."

"You know this already, Carrots," he said, and leaned forward to brace his paws on the edge of the table. "No backup is how you got hurt."

"Patch is as capable as you or I am," she said. "More capable, even. Surveillance is his element. And he wasn't alone."

"I'm not sure how much that matters right now," Nick said. He watched her shut down the computer and jump to the floor. "You heard what Schafer talked about. You've seen what Everett is comfortable doing. If it came down to it, he's not just going to let Patch walk away."

"And it's not going to come down to that," Judy said. "We warned them off. They're recalling. They're going to talk to Marki and get more help with it."

"Like we did?" Nick asked. He stopped, long enough to collect his thoughts and let out a quiet breath. "She said that once, you know. That there were things she hoped we never had to learn the hard way."

She probably still did hope. Judy saw the way Marki looked at Nick. She would always remember the conspiratorial smiles that Fangmire had always reserved for her, back when she'd been recovering from Whistler's attack. There was caution there, and a certain strained understanding.

But if ever there were a time for strained understanding, she thought as she led the way back into the hall and had to drop it, wasn't it right now? They didn't have to - and indeed they shouldn't - look the other way. But they could at least weigh the benefits of Patch and Shay's decisions before they judged them.

Because any way she looked at it, she worried Shay was right: They needed their break. They were just about out of options.

\---

But the ops channel was silent into the evening. All they got was terse updates - Patch had recalled with Shay to Rainforest headquarters, where they were wading through old camera feeds, and keeping an eye on the live ones downtown. It felt almost unfair, to be sitting here at Pinnacle while the others slogged through work that was at once tedious and critical.

Just one day into this, and Judy was already going a bit stir-crazy. There were only so many times she could check in at the security center and watch the feeds on the big screen before it got obnoxious, and Nick was reminding her each time. She was starting to get frustrated with the way he held out his paws every time her mood pointed his way.

And Claremont was busy the whole day. Judy was ready to give up and see about grabbing food at the building's little restaurant when they finally saw her striding through the lobby outside her offices with Verdegrand.

"We can get you a car, unless you brought one of your own."

Judy had forgotten they were supposed to be leaving the building. Dinner, it seemed, would be waiting. Oh well.

"We did, Ma'am," Nick said. "Will we want coats?"

"Not at first."

Nick glanced over. "We'll follow you, then."

They spiraled down out of City Center, through Hyenahurst and Otterdam. The sun was setting, but the horizon to the east had a subtle glow all its own - the night lights of the desert biome, and as they got closer, that of the climate wall itself.

With nothing better to do than let Nick drive, Judy sat back in the passenger seat to page through local reports on the terminal. It had been a standard day's policing out here, as far as her limited experience in Sahara told her.

"When was the last time we were down here?"

"There was that rash of calls near downtown," Nick said. He flicked the blinker and pulled off the thoroughfare to follow Claremont's car. "The break-ins, and that weird porcupine on the jogging path."

There was almost no activity up close to the wall in this biome, probably because it was even more dangerous than the cold side. The nearest big focus was the Tundratown protests - but to be fair, Judy thought as she read, they were plenty bad enough on their own.

She saw a flag for live video on the latest report from the other side. It was coming from one of Claremont's cameras, maybe over one of the gates into the evaporators. It looked over the housing that was getting cleared out. The stretch of condos was now totally deserted.

But there was a major police presence in the foreground, between the homes and a rowdy group of protesters. Judy didn't often see the shields from this side of the line, or the heavy equipment. The batons and riot plates were familiar enough, but it took her a minute to recognize the hulking truck on the back line. It had a big hexagonal LRAD panel on a turret, and a silvery nozzle mounted on the roof further up.

"Have you heard anything out of Tundratown today?" she asked.

Nick spared a glance, and she saw his ears flatten. "That's new."

"Yeah."

"How did Maritus go for that? We use a water cannon that close to the chillers and mammals are going to start freezing to death."

As far as Judy knew, Precinct 3 didn't have access to them, for exactly that reason. They would have brought it in from somewhere.

"Maybe it's worse than we thought."

"Overnight?" Nick shook his head. He frowned out the windshield at the wall, and the cold clouds blowing into the sky on the other side. "We weren't out of it for that long."

But here it was, surprising them. They'd spent days now removed from the worst of the unrest, just like Claremont. They didn't have to leave the building to walk the streets. Maps and tracking were abstraction. Even Claremont's home had been different somehow. Threatening, but on a more personal level.

And it wasn't an impasse. The heavy deterrents weren't going to get Park to reconsider. He was forcing ZPD's paws, bit by bit, and every little escalation would give him a larger wedge to lean on. The more the police focused on these proxy battles, the more chance he would have to do his real work. The feeling that they were running out of time was getting worse.

She didn't know where Nick was taking them. He was just following Claremont, and she was leading them north toward the wall, away from all but the warmest of the homes and businesses here. The first corporate plaza they stopped at looked mostly shut down for the night.

And the second, and the third. They watched Claremont cross to the doors of squat office buildings each time and spend about five minutes inside. They seemed to be tracing a long line parallel to the wall.

This time Verdegrand got out of the passenger seat and started back toward them. Judy cracked the window and winced as a blast of hot, dry air rolled in.

"She never broke the habit of checking on the backups herself, before we start something that might mess with the wall's power." He put a hoof on the B pillar and bent down to look into the car. "Shouldn't take long."

"What's down here?"

"This is the local substation office."

Hiding in plain sight. Now that Judy was looking for them, she could see the cameras and the double layer of glassy security doors in the building. CEG probably had dozens of these remote control points all over the city. That was the sort of thing she expected Park would have gone for to really cause havoc. Maybe they were lucky, and he didn't know about them.

Or maybe, she thought as she looked at the frozen playback on their car's computer, they weren't public enough. This anonymous bit of corporate landscaping wasn't as charismatic as the wall. The sidewalks here were quiet. Their cars were two of three in the complex, and the other one had pulled in just after they had, over by the late-hours coffee shop on the other side of the street.

Judy had never seen Verdegrand lean, but he looked casual enough, standing by the rear quarter of the car while he waited. Presently the reflections flickered on the doors as Claremont came back through, and the lights inside the building snapped off. Verdegrand gave them a thumbs-up and climbed back into the car. Nick put theirs back into gear, started them back towards the exit-

And slammed the brakes as he nearly rear-ended their taillights. There was someone in the road ahead of Claremont's car. Several someones.

And at least two them were leveling something shiny and angular at the windshield.


	17. Chapter 17

Judy was out of the car and into the warm air of Sahara night before she could process the decision, or hear Nick rattling the 24 for heavy backup from local dispatch. Now, she caught angry voices raised over the engines. But there was no loud report or splintering glass.

Ahead of her, Verdegrand was pushing his door open. She didn't have the time or the mass to stop him, so she went wide around him and trusted that he would keep a level head in the next few seconds. They didn't need someone else getting involved, trained security or no.

"ZPD!" She bounded straight onto the hood and raised her paws. "Step back from the car, _now_."

A wolf, an otter and a badger in the middle. And cell phones. They carried cell phones. Judy felt her breath rush out. Behind her, Nick put his weight to the driver's side door and closed it with a snap, to keep Claremont where she was.

"No," the badger said. "This is what it takes now, and it's on her." His paw shot out, to point at where the tiger was staring through the windshield like she was hunting.

"Stop where you are."

"You owe the mammals you're throwing out into the cold answers, Claremont."

"Sir, _stop_." Judy took a step forward on the hood, to match the ones they had taken closer to the car. The badger's tone - he couldn't be the one from the altercation at Tundratown, could he?

Nick was beside her now, and Verdegrand was on her right, but they were all alone out here until whatever backup Nick had summoned arrived.

"This is not the way to make your complaints," Nick said. "You need to stop where you are, sir. If you want to talk to her you have to do it through official channels."

"There's no official channels anymore," the wolf snapped. She swung her phone to point at Nick. "She's ignored everything we've said since the evictions started, while she hides behind the likes of you." She shook her head. "If she means a single word she says about anyone who lives in the shadow, she has to start listening to us."

They were moving closer. The wolf was trying to skirt around Nick to see through the driver-side window, and he moved to counter. Judy caught engines at high rev from somewhere, with the familiar pitch of ZPD cruisers. Just in time.

"CEG didn't evict anyone," Verdegrand said. He was advancing, too, probably to create space with nothing but his imposing presence. And it was working. The badger and the otter had stopped their progress and even fallen back a few steps. "They all knew this was coming."

"Tell that to the mammals over there with nowhere to go!" the otter said. "She forced them out. It doesn't matter how neat you tie it up in court."

"It does, actually. We've made our legal responsibilities very clear, Sir."

"Unbelievable," the wolf growled.

The badger actually laughed. "Are you so out of touch with the mammals you're supposed to be helping that even her own home doesn't make a difference?"

Verdegrand stopped. He cut a huge shadow over the smaller mammal in the wash of the headlights.

"Explain."

"There's no point, is there?" The badger brandished his phone toward the car again and raised his voice so Claremont would be sure to hear. "You don't care that most of us can't just bounce back. You know how this feels now, and it doesn't even matter."

Judy's ears sizzled with an entirely different adrenaline.

"Get on your knees and put your paws on your head," she said.

_"Judy."_

The badger sneered, even though his ears were back. "Am I under arrest?"

"Do it now. All of you."

The wolf took another step toward Nick.

Judy heard the whine of a charging taser and saw a red dot appear on the wolf's chest at perfect incapacitation height, before she could even think through the process. Her target froze.

"Get on your knees. _Now_ , Ma'am."

She glanced over to see Nick with his paw on his own holstered taser and a haunted look on his face. He only moved when she reached back with her off paw and held out her spare cuffs.

They'd drilled for this. He stepped behind each of them after they'd sank to their knees, and Judy held her aim until she heard the ratchets engage. The otter was spouting something - his name, the date and their location. It must have been for his still-recording phone camera.

She would help clear the air, then. Judy clicked her taser back into its holster. "You're under arrest in connection with a home invasion at a personal residence in north Tundratown two days ago."

_"Us?"_ the badger demanded, and tossed his head at the car. "Her house? We didn't-"

"You have the right to remain silent," Judy said. Their backup had arrived. Two cruisers with their lights going rolled into the entrance to the complex. Nick was already waving them down. "Anything you say can and will be used against you at trial."

"We had nothing to do with that!" the wolf said.

But they knew about it. And Judy was this close to rounding on them and demanding they tell her how they knew about what had happened. The sooner ZPD's investigators figured out how much these mammals had learned and why - the sooner they could shore up what was clearly another gaping hole in their intelligence.

The unfamiliar Sahara Square cops stepped up and started processing the three mammals without so much as a word. Nick must have talked to them.

Judy climbed back into the car and tapped at the console to wake it up. She needed to start the field report while it was still fresh in her mind. And now that she was coming down from the adrenaline, now that she had a chance to replay the whole thing, there was plenty standing out.

She had done her job and secured their leads. The weight of her sidearm was back on her hip, instead of in her paws. No one was hurt.

But she'd seen the way Nick had looked at her.

He'd finished his discussion with Verdegrand and started back himself, radio in paw. The door didn't even have to close behind him.

"Judy."

"I know."

"Do you, really?" He turned to her. "None of them were armed. Some of them were backing up. We had that well under control."

"Nick, I _get it_." It hurt, but it hurt because he was right, because she could see the same fear on his face that she was still working up to confront. "It's in the report already. I overreacted."

She could sense just how much he wanted to reach for her. But he kept his paws wrapped around the steering wheel and left her to her typing, in what was otherwise ringing silence.

"We're close to this," he said. "Aren't we? Closer than we should be, still."

Judy watched as a camel and a wolf in their lightweight Sahara Square uniforms finished pat-downs and ushered the badger up into the waiting cruiser. One of the other cops was bagging cell phones and other personal effects. There was even a third car pulling in now, with its lights off. "For all the good it's doing. Everett's probably watching us right now."

Nick had something pithy ready to go. She watched him push down on it and turn the engine over instead. "Marki is going to move someone from investigations down to precinct HQ here to get their statements."

"And Claremont?"

Nick nodded through the windshield. "Our relief is here early."

_"What?"_ She twisted in her seat, in time to catch Verdegrand's acknowledgement as they rolled by. Their first solid lead in what had to be weeks now, and Nick was driving them away.

"It's done, Carrots." He looked over, too. "For tonight."

"Nick, you can't-"

"No, I _have to_ ," he cut her off. His ears were back, and his claws were leaving little divots in the wheel. "Judy, Marki and I have an understanding. She's trusting us to do this right, and that means I have to be careful while I can still see this coming."

Judy stared at him. "What would you have done differently, then?" She waved back behind them, where the scene of the confrontation was fading smoothly into the desert haze. "How else was that going to go? You can't fight a wolf, Nick. Verdegrand can't get involved."

"I wouldn't have drawn," he said. "Not yet."

"They knew."

"It doesn't matter what they know, Carrots-" he stopped, and braced himself against the wheel for a long breath. The agitation seemed to drain out of him. "We need to talk about this, okay? I know that. But I need to drive right now. Finish your report."

For an instant, Judy held it. They were sliding away - too far away - from their next big break. Her reaction wouldn't make that any less true.

But she also knew Nick was right. If she couldn't trust herself to react properly - she needed that space.

She turned back to her computer, and let him drive.

\---

This was too risky to take back to their garden, she sensed. Or to Nick's apartment. This was the last thing either of them wanted to poison their quiet time.

So Judy was ready when Nick pulled them off the roads a bit early. They wound up at Riverwalk, down the slopes to where the water rushing over the boulders in the creek would give the a bit more privacy. This time of night, the park was quiet.

They locked the car in the lot and got a little distance down the path, toward the bridge over the deepest water. Nick was keeping his paws in his pockets for now. They might be off the clock, but they were still in uniform. He was going to play it safe until they went back to where they didn't let the work follow them.

"This isn't what I had in mind when we talked about going to Sahara."

Judy could almost see the patchwork landscape of their sandstone arches, on Nick's coffee table. She had to push down on it, before it distracted her any further.

And when she watched Nick's careful ears, she knew he was as frustrated and scared and guilty as she was, that their private life was getting in the way when they could least afford it.

"Yeah."

"I know we need leads. I know we need to make progress." His words were slow and careful. Measured. He turned to her. "But this is the line I was talking about. I can't let either of us cross it, even when we get surprised like that."

"Because of Sarona." Judy knew that was still weighing on Nick harder than ever, every time they had to go toe to toe with someone.

"And because it's the right thing to do." Nick watched her sit on the edge of the bridge railing and look into the faint reflections of the nighttime stream. Her feet dangled in the faint spray. "I'm not worried about Marki pulling me if we screw up, or you. I'm worried about what screwing up means for everyone around us."

And he was already showing that, every time he tried to talk down Schafer, or these activists - even when they weren't about to listen.

It was the right thing to do, at least in a vacuum. Judy knew that. She'd told him that. But mammals were pushing farther each time they got in her face, or Nick's. And each time, ZPD's job got harder. There was less time for introspection, for thinking through the possibilities. Why didn't he see that?

"It's like Claremont said, back at her house," Judy said. "She has a point. The faster we calm this down, the better for everyone."

He watched the water purling over the rocks for a long time. "Using every technically legal tool at our disposal?"

"When we have to, I think that's our job, Nick." She pushed down on the heat his sharp words were fanning. He was trying to make his point, just like she was - they just had different ways of patiently spelling things out. "Three against two and a bystander, outmassed, and we didn't know they weren't armed until after we got them to stop pushing in our faces."

"I wish you wouldn't justify it that hard, Carrots."

"And I'm not going to wait for someone to hit you again." Judy got up on the railing again to look straight at him and his flat ears. "Or me, or anyone else. We know it goes the other way, too. You've already had to stop that once. Eventually we won't be fast enough, and someone-"

"-will get hurt." Nick cut her off, and fled back to the stream. "It could be you, yes. Or them. It could be Patch. This is what you tell him, you know."

"Nick, don't."

But he pushed himself away when she reached for him so he could pace, so the focus they had both sharpened from different ends wouldn't hurt either of them. Judy could see the muscles in his jaw working.

"Judy, Park doesn't have to touch any of us to do more damage than Whistler or Baird ever did," he said. "And I know you know that, somewhere in there, because you said it yourself once. This is about more than us."

Months on, and that could still twist in her as effectively as any knife. "That's not the same thing."

"Yes it is, sweetheart." Now he did move closer. "I tried to stop you doing your job when you were in the hospital, and yeah, that was wrong. And you're stopping us from doing ours here." He put his paws on her shoulders. "That's what happens, when we put guns in mammals' faces when we don't absolutely have to. They aren't going to trust us."

Talking to those mammals wasn't working anymore, she wanted to say. They could repeat their dire warnings forever and it wouldn't matter, because there were enough of them out there who didn't care about the rules.

But she was supposed to have learned what reckless decisions could do already. To her, and to him, and to any family member or friend or random passerby who was unfortunate enough to be close when it happened. Now it was different. Harder to predict, yes.

But Nick knew what it was like, even better than she did. He'd been backed up against his own private wall already, and now it drove so much of the caution he showed around her family, and around his job. And when he had to force Judy to look at that same lesson head-on, even his legendary protective streak couldn't keep it from hurting her.

"If we don't stop Park, and everything he's doing, no one will." He ducked his head to hold her gaze. "I know that. But there's no one else who can, either. We're the ones who have to do it right."

"Even when we can't see it coming."

"Even then," Nick agreed. "But I know it works. You taught me how to do it last time, and you weren't even there." He was jealous and lonely and scared when he wrapped her up. Judy hadn't felt that in a long time. "Now I think it's my turn."


	18. Chapter 18

She woke early, before he did. And the way she moved in his arms made Nick stay where he was and keep his eyes shut. Every instinct told him to keep Judy close, but he didn't want to pressure her right now.

He gave her ten minutes. And when he raised his head she was right where he knew she'd be, poring over the jigsaw on the table. He rolled out of bed and came up behind her. His gentle claws along her front did the talking.

"I need _normal_ ," she said.

"We both know this isn't normal right now."

Judy sighed, but she did turn to him, so she could push her paws against his cheeks, and against the last vestiges of soreness in the muscles of his back where Everett had hit him.

"You're not okay, either." The stubbornness on her brow was slow to melt, even as he held her close so they could tend to each other. "And that's thanks to me."

"I love you."

She let him pull her gently away from the table so they could prepare for the day. It had worked, he judged - not a reminder either of them enjoyed, but they both knew how critical it was.

They had coffee, and Nick detoured them on a whim to supplement it with two whole boxes of fritters from a donut shop at the edge of Little Rodentia. The place earned every bit of its buzz, even this time of morning. The walkthrough windows for larger mammals had a line.

It was worth it, though, because Nick could eat the little pastries in one bite, and Judy wouldn't tease him for it. They polished most of them off while they waited under the shade trees for the next tram. Judy shared her fresh orange juice.

And she tried to give him one last grateful smile, when they arrived at headquarters and had to split up. Marki was waiting for them, and she beckoned to Judy first.

\---

"It was the right call."

They met in the quiet stairwell when it was Nick's turn, down the hall from the conference rooms. Usually nobody came through here in the mornings.

"How is she taking it?" Nick asked. "From a fitness for duty standpoint."

Marki watched him over her folded arms, as if deciding whether it was worth breaking protocol as team leader to discuss personal issues.

"You said she's okay," she said. "I agree."

Nick nodded.

"And Patch."

He winced. "Go easy on him. Believe it or not, he's not reckless like she is."

"When did you know?"

"Just before we left for Sahara," Nick said. "Shay told us he wanted to keep a closer eye on Everett."

He could see her thinking hard. Her tail went from the left to the right, just once.

It was about the only lead they had. And she knew that, too. But it was just one piece of the picture she had to weigh.

"Judy believes in him," she said. "Do you?"

What was she getting at? "He _is_ just as brave as she is. But Shay won't always be ready to pull him back. On a case like this-" he shrugged. "That's dangerous. And going on nothing but my own experience, as recently as last night - I don't know if that's something they can learn from us."

"No," she agreed. "After the brief I'll speak with him. Don't tell him."

That was ominous, but at least she had his best interests in mind. And Nick owed her that much, for taking the news as well as she had. "Yes, Ma'am."

"Are you holding up, Nick?"

Here it came again, the concern that he wished she didn't have to spare for him, or for Judy. She had so much to balance as it was, and she still took the time to make sure he was fit to work. Nick supposed it was her tail on the line if they screwed this up, too.

That was part of why he'd had to step in, though. There was always a little something that went between them now, when their jobs veered personal.

"Yes." It was true, for now. "Thank you."

She nodded once, and held the door into the hallway for him before she went to find Fangmire. Nick crossed the hall into the conference room, where Judy was holding careful vigil on one side of the table. She rotated an ear for him. Patch and Shay were discussing Everett. They looked happier than Shay had sounded yesterday, for all that helped Nick's mood.

He had to sit next to his partner in the giant chair they were sharing like nothing was wrong, like he didn't know or care that while he and Judy had been getting their own wake-up call, Patch and Shay had been pushing farther into something reckless, too. He didn't envy Marki her job this morning - but he decided that had she not been about to make the restraint official, he would have tried to make it stick himself. The consequences of their decisions were too immediate.

"You're going to need a warrant for the house itself if you want to get any closer," Shay was telling Patch. "If Everett's watching Claremont, we need to bring him in carefully."

"And backup," Judy added. She had a sympathetic paw for Nick. "It sounds like you're close enough to hear the guy."

"Not quite," Patch said. "I haven't checked it out enough to know if there are cameras." He gave Shay a patient look from where he was standing on the back of her big chair. "So I do want to play it safe. Now that I've found the place I'd rather a whole team set up there anyway."

"Then ask Marki about it," Shay said. "We got pulled off station for this anyway. She said it was high-priority."

"Will she go for that?"

Nick could sense Judy getting reluctant beside him. There wasn't going to be any avoiding this, but that didn't make it any easier to talk about. And he had to let her set the pace with something this sensitive.

His paw on her knee was a lousy bit of reassurance. It seemed to help anyway. She finally did return his glance before she launched into it.

"We're here because I rushed into a triple arrest last night."

Their teammmates' ears flattened. Judy winced.

"I didn't see anything about that," Shay said. She cringed. "I'm - sorry, Judy. That came out wrong."

Patch's eyes were huge. "What _happened?_ "

"There were mammals harrassing Claremont in Sahara Square about her break-in," Judy said. "I held them at taserpoint."

His tail whirled around. "And did they-"

"Know anything?" Judy asked. Her paws were on the table. "We don't know. And that's the point. I moved too fast to find out."

Marki swept through the doorway, with a tablet in her paws. It made them jump.

"They don't." She'd heard enough, it seemed. Now she stood at the head of the table. "Setter interviewed them last night. All three saw photos someone took of the scene and decided to act on them."

Judy slumped, and this time Nick couldn't move to reassure her. He'd suspected this might be coming - and it was worse, to hear that Park must have publicized that little jaunt himself, just to stir up more sentiment.

Because as far as he would be concerned, it had worked. Mammals had bought into his propaganda so completely that they believed nonsense about evictions and illegal treatment.

And Judy had still screwed up. The overreaction was a terrible example to set for the public, to say nothing of their fellow officers. Patch's face was clouding over.

"Online?" Shay asked.

"We have subpoenas out." Marki tapped something on the tablet so it clicked, and a corresponding ping sounded from Shay's laptop on the table. "I want you and the rest of IT working on our copies. Get whatever you can out of them."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"I'm recalling you to Pinnacle while Claremont is there, starting now. Hopps and Wilde, you're embedding again."

Patch held up a paw at that. "Sergeant, what about Everett?"

"What about him?"

Nick held his breath. Patch was going to rush the script.

"Well, we know where he's likely to be." Patch jumped down to the table. "Shay and I placed another tracker yesterday. And when he pinged on it a couple times I- spent some time in close, just watching."

She didn't say anything. She didn't have to. Her muzzle lowered, and brought the ambient temperature down a few degrees with it.

"He's been the one forcing issues all over the city," Patch said. His tail was trying to get away, but he stood his ground and held out his paws. "He was at Tundratown from the start. And at Claremont's home."

"We think," Marki said.

"So he's most likely to do it again, based on what we can guess of his behavior." His ears twisted to Shay. "Right? And the last place he showed up was at Rainforest. If we get a team to sit on him close enough, we might get the chance to stop whatever's coming next before it happens."

"ZPD bases its actions on what it _knows_ ," Marki said. She was studying him - and Judy. "We can't move on bad feelings. Rushing into anything on this case is regressive."

"We know he's getting his orders from somewhere. He's closer to Park than anyone we've found. He could lead us to him."

"Which means if we watch him, we watch him the right way." Marki held up a paw before he could get up any more steam. "You and I will talk about this. Questions, Wilde?"

Judy was giving him a significant look. He pulled his ears forward. "No, Ma'am."

"Then get prepped." Marki collected her tablet. "Patch."

He spared a long moment for his partner, then jumped off the table and followed her out. The door shut them in again, across from a reluctant Shay.

"You told her, didn't you?"

Nick winced. "I'm sorry, Shay. I had to come clean. Being reckless - it gets mammals hurt."

"No, I know." She waved at the door. "And we all forgot that, didn't we? You tell us about a bad arrest and the first thought we both have is how it will help our case."

"Marki knows how it feels."

"I know," Shay said. "And she'll get through to him differently than I can. Whatever it was you did - thank you."

Judy's ears were down. "Shay, is he okay?"

"He really wants this break," she said. They followed her out the door, and she went the other way down the quiet hallway, toward the staff offices. She hugged her computer to her chest. "He's so good at what he does, and he knows it. Sitting here waiting makes him feel like it's not enough."

So instead of waiting, he charged off and took risks, doing the things he felt he had to. It must have been a small mammal thing.

At least Marki was keeping an ear on him now. The last time Nick had camped out on a Tundratown rooftop with her he'd had a minor epiphany. Maybe that was just what she did.

\---

And that was the last they saw of their teammates for most of the next day. Nick and Judy were stuck inside watching Claremont - or more accurately, watching the sealed boardroom doors where she was holed up with the rest of the leadership. Even Verdegrand wasn't as visible as usual. He was spending most of his time down in the security offices or out on the perimeter, watching for trouble.

The worst part, in Nick's estimation, was that he still couldn't take any of that time to talk things through with Judy. The fallout was still weighing on her, even worse than their tangle with Everett in Tundratown.

But while they were on the clock, they had to stay vigilant. Nick settled for sticking as close as he thought he could, without drawing the attention of the office managers out here.

So it was a surprise when Claremont opened the doors to see off a throng of mammals in pantsuits and ties - from a weasel to a giraffe who still had to duck to fit under the frame. Most of them looked like they'd been working for a couple days in the clothes.

She nodded Nick and Judy inside.

"Something to drink, officers?"

"That's all right, thanks."

"Moveouts are done." Claremont had a tritan water bottle in her paws. The ice cubes inside rattled. "Power and sewer lines are disconnected. Demolition is starting. And Park hasn't surfaced since the break-in." She paused by her desk, long enough to press a call button on her phone. "Verdegrand, we're done up here."

"On my way."

"No, Ma'am." Judy glanced up at Nick. "We have orders to watch for him here."

Claremont turned, to focus on Judy where she stood on the chair, as if she hadn't heard right. "You're waiting for him to come to you."

Her ears flickered. "It's hard to chase him if we don't know where he is. We'll be going downstairs to check in as soon as we're done here."

"And the mammals from last night?"

Nick took that one, before Judy decided she had to. "There doesn't appear to be any connection to Park."

"The photos they cited suggest otherwise."

Judy flickered in the corner of Nick's eye. They should have expected this, too. CEG was running its own investigation, and it had already proven as competent as ZPD's own.

"What did they know? How did they know it?"

"We can't share that information, Ma'am, I'm sorry. The investigation-"

"-is _ongoing_ , yes." Her bottle clicked onto the desk and she rested her weight on its top. "Is there anything you _can_ give me? Officers, I just spent hours convincing my board to stick to our timeline. They're running out of patience."

"We can't legally share anything else, Ma'am," Judy said. She was choosing her words carefully. "Only that we don't think they're working for Park."

"Schafer's still not talking?"

They shook their heads.

"You see my problem," she said, and tapped a finger on a hardcopy map in front of her. "I'm leveling almost six square miles of residential structure in less than a week. There's equipment to move in. Old buildings to break down for processing. There's going to be a convoy of trucks through to the Rainforest plants for days." Claremont sighed. "And we have subcontractors who are about ready to walk away from their agreements, and restless residents down in the city. Right now, all of it is a buffet for Park."

But that wasn't their fault, Nick thought. "We're doing what we can to work with you, Ma'am, but investigative work takes time."

"We don't have time, officers. evaporators on the cold side of the wall are at margin, taking up slack for the service shutdown. Four more days of this, and we start losing permafrost. It could take years to repair that kind of damage."

"Our team is watching every scene we know about and some we're guessing about, in case Park brings a phone close enough," Nick said. He heard the door open behind him. "But until we know where that is, we can't move."

Claremont held up a paw to pause Verdegrand where he was. Nick could see claws. "Even if that means by the time you do, it's too late."

"Ma'am, with all due respect, ZPD is already overstepping in places," Judy said. She had one tentative ear for Nick, but his heart was swelling anyway as she held her head up. "You saw how last night played out. We can't - _I can't_ \- afford more lapses in judgement like that. Can you?"

"We don't have any choice in how we operate." Claremont had gone still, except for her tail. She was staring at Judy. "I suggest you take that up with Park, assuming you ever find him."

Only long practice helped Nick master the shock. Judy wasn't so lucky.

"This isn't about him, Claremont," Judy said. "Not anymore."

"No?"

"You have a responsibility to a lot of mammals." Judy's ears twisted. "You, personally, just like we do as police officers."

"So you know what happens if I fail that responsibility."

_"Yes!"_ The cracks were starting to show. Judy was pacing with the nervous energy. "I do. I've been on your side, Ma'am. Since this started. I want this done as much as you do. But you saw what I did last night. I can't ignore how it's changing anymore. You can't, either."

It hurt, to stand here and watch Judy try to reconcile what she had so recently learned in the hardest manner possible, while Claremont ran it all over again.

"Officers, I'm not asking you to understand every intricacy I have to balance. But I know you can appreciate that this is for the good of as many mammals as possible."

"You're going to get someone killed, Claremont-"

Her muzzle twisted. _"That's enough."_

"The police have to act in that same interest," Nick cut in, and squared up a bit so Claremont would fix her furious gaze on him instead of Judy. "We don't have any choice, either, Ma'am. There are some things we just can't do."

It wasn't the sort of conversation he and Judy were rated to have. ZPD had a whole oversight board dedicated to maintaining the interplay they were busy upsetting right now. A couple of cops weren't going to be enough to get Claremont to see sense or change her mind.

But they had seen what happened when it tipped too far one way. Nick had snatched Judy back from that precipice just in time. Now it gave her her fire, one hundred and ten percent, the way she did everything. Now it gave him the strength to stand there and bear the angry tiger on the other side of the desk for both of them, the way he knew he had to.

And it was a long time before she looked over their heads. "Verdegrand, reshuffle the exchanger detail. Give our operations line as much protection as you can. Right out in front."

"It will be a few mammals at most, Ma'am. We're already stretched thin."

Judy's ears wilted at her orders. "Ma'am-"

"Then reassign personnel from Rainforest," she snapped. Her neck was tight under the collar of her jacket. "From Ross Point, if you have to. We need a week, and we can't depend on ZPD. Whatever it takes."

This time, he didn't argue. He just paused for breath, long enough for her to think on what that meant, and inclined his antlers.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"And see these officers to the lobby. I'm sure they have work to do." She plucked files from the desk between her claws, and didn't acknowledge them again.

\---

The elevator plummeted in silence. An apologetic Verdegrand had keyed it for nonstop.

But there were still cameras in here along the ceiling. It meant Nick couldn't get close the way he wanted to. He had to settle for a paw on Judy's shoulder, where her vest didn't cover. Hopefully it would be enough to get through just how proud he was of her.

She did give him a grateful look, but it was strained.

"What just happened?"

"Something else we need to tell Marki about."

She grabbed for his paw. "We can't stop this, can we?"

"I don't think so." Now he did turn to return her attention, and damn the cameras. "But I'd rather get sidelined than go along with something that risky. We already decided."

"And what if Park puts it together? Ross Point is too important."

"Carrots, that's Peacekeeper territory." He didn't want to have to finish the thought, not right now. Judy would already know how trespassers there got shot.

They were left alone when they made the lobby. Close protection rules meant Claremont was required to accomodate them on the premises at a minimum, until ZPD said otherwise.

But Nick was happy to get relieved as soon as they made the call. They could do more good if they weren't twiddling their thumbs in here, and Marki seemed to know it. Maybe it was Patch wearing off on her.

The trick was going to be breaking the news to Shay. No, it wasn't their fault, but that didn't stop Nick from feeling responsible anyway.

No change," she said when she opened the sensor van's doors to join them out front. It was the third time they'd been down here today. "And Tundratown is quiet, even with all this work." She took her headset off. "Did you get Sergeant Marki's call?"

"We called her. Claremont is sending out her own security," he said. "She just kicked us out of her office."

Shay's big ears flicked forward. _"What?"_

"She's worried about Park hitting the demolition," Judy said. She shook her head at Shay's bristling reaction. "For all we know, she's right. But Nick and I told her we can't risk another mistake."

"What about Patch? He and Sergeant Marki are already there."

"They're staying on it, she said." Nick listened to the noise of the restless crowd bouncing off the facade. "We can't go any further than the first floor, though."

She swung back up into the van to open the Rainforest map.

"Everett hasn't shown yet," she said. "But I'll check it again."

"Shay, if anything's going to happen, it will be here. Or in Tundratown."

"Maybe." She punched for the refresh. "But he showed up in Rainforest yesterday."

Nick winced. That had been eighteen hours ago. "Patch isn't as bad about this as you are, is he?"

"No." That got her to turn her head, at least. "I make him sleep more."

There was a rapid knock on the door plate. Shay stabbed a cam button, and Nick stared. Was this going to happen every time they got in trouble?

Judy got the door. "Captain?"

Fangmire could still spare a tight smile for them. "Hi, Hopps. Marki asked me to check on you three."

Nick could feel the sensor van's suspension shifting under the tiger's weight. He overwhelmed the jump seat by the door.

"We're waiting," Shay said for all of them. "No traffic, no pings. Even Tundratown is quiet."

"What did Claremont say?"

"That she's out of options," Nick said. "It might be true, if melting is as much of a problem as she says it is."

"Kicking us out isn't going to help that," Judy said.

"Was she really adding much?" He held up a paw when Judy scowled. "I mean it, Hopps. As long as she stays put up there, she's safe. We can do the rest of this without her."

"We shouldn't have to." And Nick saw the rest of it in her expression: If she'd done things differently in Sahara, they wouldn't be stuck like this.

"No," Fangmire allowed. "But that's how it fell. We've got to work with that now."

It didn't leave much to do but watch, and wait. They got out of Shay's fur so she could continue her singleminded scrutiny of the cell tower maps, and showed Fang around. The street was open to traffic again. Protest was visible only as a focused group of mammals under awnings on the other side of the street. Police presence was just as light - nobody was armed, the LRAD was offline in its cradle, and the officers on watch by Pinnacle's garages reported it had been quiet all day. That was probably a good thing.

Tundratown was an entirely different story as the night went on. CEG wasn't wasting any time. Shay's camera feeds played scene after scene of tense industry, as snowplows and graders shoved the pristine drifts into corners. The housing underneath them was modular, like more basic versions of Claremont's own. They were coming off their foundations under massive mobile cranes and getting loaded onto trucks.

In front of it all was the police line - and an extra scattering of watchful mammals in light pads, with the Claremont logo stamped on the collar. Nick saw plenty of coffee and paw warmers getting passed around. Some of the smaller mammals were obviously fresh from Rainforest and unused to the cold.

They were keeping their distance, though, closer to the deconstruction, and Nick was happy to see it. It was better that the public be able to tell the two groups apart - no matter what happened.

Park had to know it was a tinderbox. All he needed was one good confrontation, one injury or hazard that he could tip over the edge. If the public got in ZPD's face tonight, ZPD - or Claremont's own security - would likely do the rest.

They watched tense exchanges on the perimeter, and at least one mammal get detained when they got a bit too close. But things didn't start to fall apart until the maps flashed for attention. The radio lit up.

"Shay!" Patch must have had some sort of link already open.

"I see it."

Nick watched the maps scale out. Park had come back into range - except he was on the wrong side of the city. He was heading north in Rainforest, toward the tunnels to Tundratown.

"We're going to lose him soon," Shay said. "He's right on the edge."

"Marki's driving," Patch said. "She says to send dispatch everything. Maybe we can cut him off before he can get here."

There was a weird thrum carrying through the van's frame. Nick glanced down. Judy stilled her guilty foot and reached for her heavy pads in the corner.

Patch had placed that stingray at Everett's just a day ago, and that risky play might have just given them their first advance warning in the entire case. Maybe this time it would play out like Pinnacle, in reverse. They would just have to get set up in Tundratown before Park could.

The flurry of activity got Fangmire's attention. He stepped back up into the van from where he'd been on the phone outside, and pulled his radio off his belt when he saw what was unfolding.

"You've got three likely choke points," Shay said. "Unless he goes the really long way through Vine Country."

"We can block those," Fangmire said. He raised his radio. "Get me Maritus."

Onscreen, the intermittent tracker vanished as Park's signal went out of range on Moss Street.

And not two seconds later another marker popped up an alert. Everett was already Tundratown.

Shay hissed something quiet and surprisingly vicious, and Nick found himself agreeing. Here it went again.

"Pack what you need." The van bounced as Fangmire shifted gears and ducked out.

"Everett is already at the wall."

"We're not in position for that," Patch came back. Nick heard an engine redlining in the background and hoped the little squirrel was buckled in.

None of them were in the right spot. Nick gritted his teeth. Until they had chased down Park, it would fall to Precinct 3 again, and that had worked out so well last time...

"Nick, she needs to know." Judy already had her phone out. "Call Verdegrand, at least."

"Yeah."

"Our next shot will be at the biome line cameras," Shay said. She was trying to multitask, with Patch's map on one screen and feeds from the transit authority on her laptop so she could take them to go. "Patch, you're not going to have much time."

Fang's cruiser braked hard outside. Nick helped Shay get her gear loaded and piled into the back with Judy. It wasn't exactly comfortable, especially when they were wearing heavy pads, but it was the fastest vehicle they had, with the most lights to get everyone else out of their way.

He drove it like it was stolen, too. They'd be to Tundratown in ten minutes, at this rate.

But the negatives kept rolling in, even with Shay's camera work. They didn't know what Park's car looked like.

Even the fire department was on the circuit now. CEG's security line was still ringing in his ear, but Nick could hear the different roger beep. Had Marki pulled them in to help block the tunnels?

"Where?" Shay ducked and cupped a hoof to her headset, to block out the noise, then looked out the windshield.

_"Left!"_ she yelled, and twisted in her seat to check the mounted computer. "Captain, hard left! Stay on the highway!"

Fang cranked the wheel over and swerved out of their exit lane just in time. Nick felt his seatbelt lock.

"Patch, get to Haymarket. As fast as you can."

Judy got it, right as Nick felt the ice crawling in his gut, too. They crowded forward to see.

Park's tracker was back onscreen, but instead of Tundratown, the map showed the twisting roads of Rainforest district. The signal blinked on and off, dead center in the number two burner at CEG's power plants.


	19. Chapter 19

Nick wasn't going to bother trying to get through to Claremont herself, but not even Verdegrand was answering his phone. The security office had put Judy on hold. He ended his call and watched Judy shake her head in disgust. Yes, CEG had more important things to worry about just now. But it meant the police would be going in more or less blind.

"Anything, Shay?"

"The Rainforest plants just evacuated," Shay called back to them over the roaring engine. She had removed her headset long enough to swap her glasses for a more rugged pair, with a strap to keep them in place. "I'm getting reports of a fire, Nick."

Well, that put their priority on the burners, no question. Everett had to be a distraction.

When he detached from the knowledge that they'd only just seen another dangerous arson coming as it happened, he had to admire their coordination and their consistency. No matter what ZPD tried, Park was either shrewd or just lucky enough to hit where they weren't ready.

He must have been watching, just waiting for Claremont to overreact. If she hadn't just pulled a bunch of mammals off security detail at the Rainforest burners, there was no way he could have made it inside.

But he was still a step ahead. It sure felt personal to Nick now, too, like he was taking advantage of the caution they were all forced to confront and remember. Claremont was probably livid.

Judy had given up on her fruitless contact efforts to check over Nick's kit. She met his eyes, and held her tongue.

_I told you so_ didn't matter just now. Park had forced their paws, again. They had to shelve the indecision and the agonizing over hindsight, and do their jobs. There really were lives counting on it this time.

The evening storm was pouring on them as they broke out into Rainforest, because of course it was. It might help with whatever fire problems they had, but it was plenty threatening on its own, too. Fang was taking the off-ramp spiral hard enough that Nick felt the tires fighting for grip.

Just minutes after the calls went out, the side of the transit plaza closest to the plants was already a mass of emergency vehicles and urgent activity. This was shaping up to be a big fire - even the heavy rain and mist wasn't enough to knock down the billow of black smoke pouring from the facility in the depression below them. Fang stopped them in the nearest free slice of curb he could find and they piled out. Judy was on her radio, looking for Marki and the incident commander. Shay was looking for Patch.

Claremont's staff was a bunch of consummate professionals, even under this kind of stress. Engineers and machinists were clustered under umbrellas and trees, well out of the way of the fire crews that were bucking the trend and heading down toward the burning buildings. A couple of wolves in security uniforms were helping emergency services set up an awning, so they would have someplace dry to work from. Precinct chief Paratas was pitching in - Nick could see the stars on his collar.

"How bad is it?" Nick turned to Judy to check her armor. She had her radio cupped to one ear to hear it over the sound of sirens and shouting.

She swiped at her eyes. "Everything's on battery power. But so far it's still in just one of the burners."

"The staff?"

"Four missing. Everyone else is clear."

_"Patch!"_

He was a grey-brown blur straight over the hood of their cruiser, up the side of the nearest fire engine to scale a big tree without any sort of anchor. Shay craned her neck to follow him for as long as she could.

"He's finding us a way in." Marki joined them and pointed the group toward the tent. "Shayler, can you put eyes on Park?"

"Yes." She finally pulled her eyes from the dark canopy and nodded. "Yes - I need camera access."

"One supervisor, coming up." Fangmire disappeared.

"Wilde." Marki was seating her custom earpiece. "Get to his exit before he does. Stay away from the fire, mark those staffers for the rescue team if you see them, and do not engage if it's too risky. Fang will back you up."

Nick caught Shay's steady worry. But he caught Judy's determination, too. Her ears were up and she gave him a little nod. "Yes, Ma'am."

"I'll spot you from the catwalks." She pointed up to where the smoke and steam boiled around the narrow grate bridges, where they'd climbed to place their stingray so long ago.

Patch appeared in midair just outside the tent, riding a line he'd strung up in the limbs. "It doesn't look like it's spreading," he called, and started pulling the rope down to coil it again. Water whipped around. "We can take the front gates if we want."

Fangmire had found them their plant directors, a tall impala lady who was carrying a gerbil in her hooves. He scrambled up to the maps on the table long enough to answer Shay's rapid questions and give her directions to the security room. It was, thankfully, on the edge of the complex furthest from the fire.

"Any breaches?" she asked. "Did you get anyone breaking your security before the fire started?"

"No," the impala said. "The first sign of trouble was the evacuation alarms."

"Okay."

It would have been nice to have a trail to follow, but Nick couldn't complain about spotty knowledge now. In an emergency, the first responsibility was getting mammals out, not watching for any coming in. They were going to be the first team of police in, ahead of even the firefighters. They would have to work it backward from security.

"Are you sure you want to go in there?" her companion asked. He scampered over to tap tiny paws on the hardcopy. "There's an accelerant bay on the process side that feeds the number two burner. The fire's getting close."

"How long?" Marki asked.

"The doors are rated for twenty minutes."

"Wilde, you have ten."

"Right."

They ran down the ramp and through the gates, where two security guards were still shepherding firefighters and other emergency personnel. Marki diverted up the nearest ladder and vanished with a flick of her spotted tail, Fangmire took backstop, and they went in.

It was strange how normal the whole thing felt, if Nick ignored the alarms and emergency lights. It was just a deserted maze of clean industrial corridors and warehouses, like everyone had gone to lunch at once - except there was a roaring blaze in one corner of the facility that he kept noticing every time they passed a window, or crossed one of the open-air bridges. Half of the giant tree-smokestack was collapsing or burning.

"Had to be intentional," Patch panted. He had dropped to all fours to keep up, in long leaps along the guardrails and pipe races alongside. "I knew our trash burned well, but I didn't think the stuff that burned it would go up, too."

"Park had all sorts of fuels to choose from," Shay said. She was staring at her phone as they jogged.

"Is he still down there?" Nick asked.

"Moving slow, yeah."

It would fit that Park stuck to what he knew best, Nick thought. This had all started with arson, and it had had an outsize effect the first time around, too.

"Ping from Tundratown," Shay said. "They have a building surrounded and evacuated. There's no response from Everett yet."

A standoff, under the best of circumstances - and yet it was more progress and warning than they'd had for almost any of Park's little diversions so far. Nick would take it.

The control room had wraparound windows that looked out over the whole operation. Fangmire watched the door behind them and Shay went straight to a bank of consoles on the right side of the room. Most every light in here was showing red.

"What can we do?" Judy asked her.

"On the other side." Shay pointed. "There should be a list of gates and doors on one of the screens. Look for any that are open." She hammered at the unfamiliar space bar until the computer started to respond.

Nick crowded close with Patch to watch as she paged through camera feeds. Most were of empty rooms and locked doors, until she got to the number two burner and the screens showed flurries of sparks and flame or nothing at all. The wide shot of the conveyor floor was one big inferno.

"There can't be anyone down there." Patch had his paws on the reinforced glass, where he was staring at the real thing in the near distance.

"The escape routes locked open until ZFD overrides them, she said." Shay increased her pace. "They're designed to funnel mammals out in case something like this happens. That's where Park will be."

_There._ A blur of motion on one of the smoky hallway cams that might have been antlers. On another, Nick saw the back of a big canine - a wolf, or maybe a coyote. The adrenaline fizzed around. It was distracting.

"Six minutes," Marki sent.

"We found him," Shay said. "Or his gang."

"Do you have their exit point?"

"Maybe," Judy said. "Shay, come look at this."

They all crossed the room to where Judy was standing on the too-large console. LOADING-2 was flashing halfway down a list of gates and doors. It was showing red for unsecured.

"That's the ground floor." Shay checked her phone again. "They must have jammed the loading bay gates."

"Good place to wait," Fangmire said. "Nice exit of our own if we need it. Wilde, let's set up there."

It was another rush of hallways and stairs down out of the admin areas. The acrid scent of burning refuse and pervasive smoke was getting thicker.

And the loading bay was more open. It was a long, wide pool of concrete, open to the rain sheeting out of the sky and criscrossed by gantries and cranes above. The low conveyor tunnel on one end was seeping smoke from the blaze further up. On the other end there was a thick chainlink gate, with automatic pulleys that were supposed to keep it closed. Someone had wedged a length of pipe in the gaps to hold it open.

"I have a shot from the southeast," Marki sent. "Be ready for return fire."

Nick craned up to the high catwalks, but the brightest light was the flicker of the fire one smokestack over. He couldn't make her out.

"Cover, Wilde." Fangmire pulled his taser rifle off its shoulder strap and indicated that Nick should do the same.

There were plenty of smaller conveyors and forklifts down here, at least. Judy and Shay were already getting situated behind one of them, but Patch was turning a slow circle in the middle of the bay, shading his eyes from the rain.

"Nick, I should go up."

"Is that enough cover?"

"It's better if I can move up and down, and see what's coming. I'm wasted down here."

Nick saw Shay open her mouth to protest - but she followed her partner's gaze to the nearest gantry and with an effort she seemed to change her mind. He looked down at the squirrel.

He'd finally placed what felt like. It was _ending_ , as if they were walking through Understory into that alley again - except it was fire alarms instead of jazz, and body armor instead of business casual.

But Nick didn't know who he was supposed to warn - or if he should even open his mouth. The foreboding would just distract his friend now. Patch knew what he had to do.

"Okay." Nick committed. "Get set up, but stay out of Marki's shot."

He crouched against the same concrete pillar Patch streamed up, and had time to watch the conveyor tunnel and the cloud of smoke that was stinging in his sinus. The fire seemed to be getting worse. If Shay was right, it would be sending Park and whoever else was in there this way in a hurry - and if they wanted out, they would have to go right through his team.

Patch had moved closer to that entrance, probably trusting his height to keep him from being noticed. Fangmire was behind a big stack of shrinkwrapped pallets nearest the gate. Judy was right across from Nick, checking her sidearm. He caught other teams from Precinct Four crackling updates over the local band, as they found their own cutoffs by the emergency exits, just in case. There was a perimeter going up a block out in every direction.

But it sounded like it was going to fall to them.

"Park is moving this way," Shay said. She had her radio in one paw, and her smartphone in the other. She was still watching Patch. "I think this is it."

Nick watched Judy put a reassuring paw on Shay's elbow, and then she was looking at him, from what seemed like a long way away. He could still feel her reassurance and trust from here, and it helped him steady himself.

This was where it came down, yes - to hard decisions and heavy, unfamiliar compliance tools and showdowns that none of the public would see. And they each would need to come through it on their own, and trust their teammates to do their jobs, because this time there really was no other choice. Nick decided he would have to be comfortable with that.

At least this way, no one else would get hurt.

Judy heard it first. Nick saw her ears twist.

Claws, not hooves, ticking their way down the curve of the tunnel. It had to be a lighter mammal.

The coyote was coughing into a rag he held over his muzzle. He rushed out of the smoke and made it halfway to the gate before he realized there were cops stacked in front of it and came up short. As he turned, Nick could see the pistol in his paw. He buoyed on adrenaline.

_"ZPD! Get on your knees, now!"_

He didn't, of course. He took two steps back and raised the gun toward Shay, who was closest. Judy got a paw on the haul loop on her pads and pulled her back into the shelter of their forklift.

_"On your knees!"_

He swung his aim to Nick, missed his first shot by a mile - and collapsed in a stunned pile as Marki's return fire clipped him behind the ear like a bolt of lightning. It was just a rubber bullet, but the high angle from an unexpected direction was devastating. The gun clattered away under one of the conveyors.

In the beat of stillness that followed, Nick heard Shay breathing hard. The wind shifted and carried more smoke toward them.

"Judy."

"Shay, help me." She put her taser away and scrambled around to latch cuffs to the perp's limp wrists. Nick slung his, too, so that between the three of them they could pull the dead weight of the coyote back toward the gate.

"One secure," Fang came over the radio. "Good shooting, Marki."

"The smoke is fouling my angle," Marki said. "I'm moving."

"You're okay," Judy panted as they hauled. "Yeah?"

Shay gave a jerky nod. "Yeah."

"You're okay."

She was asking him, too. Nick wanted to double-check, to make sure he hadn't been shot after all, but for now he could settle for that reassurance.

Fang was waiting for them, with one paw out to take some of the weight, but he snapped up at Patch's shout.

_"Nick!"_

Nick turned, right as Fang leapt over them to put his bulk in front of the smaller officers, taser back up and aimed.

This was all wrong.

A polar bear was lumbering out of the smoke, and he didn't look like he was slowing down. Nick couldn't tell if he was armed, but it almost didn't matter.

_"Get on your knees!"_

Two on one, but it didn't feel that way. Everett was just too big. Nick heard himself shouting at the bear to stop and kneel.

"No shot." Marki was in his ear. "No shot."

They were too close together, Nick knew. There was a huge gap on the right-paw side of their line, because he and Fangmire were keeping themselves between Everett and the others where they'd come out of cover. But Everett saw it, too, and he was going to make that space before they could.

Until Patch hissed down out of nowhere and squarely into Everett's way. _"Stop!"_

_"Patch, no!"_

Everett leaned into his rush and drew back an enormous paw.

Nick shot him.

He saw the leads hit and heard the big taser crack in his paws as it dumped its caps into the bear - but it wasn't enough. Contact was bad, or Everett's clothes were too thick, or he just didn't care. His open-pawed swipe went through Patch's textbook-perfect block like it wasn't even there and sent him skidding across the concrete, trailing his line.

Behind them, Shay screamed, and Nick swore he heard Judy cry out, too. He had to fight the urge to twist around and shout at them to stay where they were. If Shay went out after Patch, if Everett was armed-

Fang's taser crackled, too, but the damned barbs couldn't get enough purchase to work. Everett was still moving, on an angle away from them, and Nick saw with a sick feeling in his gut that he had gone to all fours and was hauling on Patch's rope, paw over massive paw, dragging the dazed squirrel toward him - for cover, or worse.

_"Fang!"_

Fangmire had lethal force drawn and aimed, but Patch was already disappearing under enormous claws. Everett looked up at them with an awful leer on his muzzle as the gunfire rang in Nick's ears, far too late.


	20. Chapter 20

Everett sat hard and fetched up against the conveyor brace next to him. Patch kicked himself free hard enough to slide away. Nick could see his chest hammering from here.

Nick dropped the useless taser rifle and ran to meet him halfway, trusting Fangmire to cover him if Everett was still alive. He was still calling to stop the bear where he was, which was weird. He'd shot him three times.

"Put the gun on the ground," Fangmire called. "Now."

"Nick!" The others were leaving cover, too, to sprint up behind him.

It was only when he made it to crouch over a gasping Patch and glanced up that Nick saw antlers straightening in the smoke. He froze, and for another crazy, ice-cold second he thought Park had shot his own lieutenant in the back. And here he was, way too close, with no cover but a dying polar bear and a light taser all the way on his belt-

But reindeer didn't get quite that tall.

Verdegrand held his ground and held his spread hooves carefully out in front of him. "Captain-"

"It's okay, Patch. _It's okay!_ " Shay put her back to Everett. She had her hooves on Patch's temples. If he'd taken that hit to the head, they needed to keep him still. "We've got you. Stop moving."

"Fang, he's okay! Blue!" Nick twisted. "Verdegrand, is there anyone else in there? Any mammals in the tunnels?"

"Two staff," he said. His nostrils flared. "Dead. One probably from the smoke-" He looked at Everett. "And one was shot."

Nick felt his hackles bunching again. "No Park?"

"No." He hadn't moved. Fang was still holding a gun on him - probably, Nick saw, because there was an enormous revolver on the ground between them, still adding its smoke to the rest. Only now that Nick waved him off again did the tiger relax and click his safety on. He reached for his radio.

"Shayler."

"Patch is hurt, Captain-"

"The trace, Shayler." He held a big paw out to her. "Find Park."

Judy stepped in again, to see to Patch. His head was back and his eyes were closed, but he was breathing. That had to be enough for right now.

Shay dragged her eyes to her phone and turned in place. "It's right here," she said. "In this room."

Fang was calling for backup and medics. Marki ghosted out of the smoke on a nearby ladder and ran for them. Her ears laid flat, when she saw Patch on the ground. And Verdegrand was still frozen in the tunnel entrance.

"You're sure." Nick could already see it on her face, but he had to ask.

Shay shook her head, as if she didn't want to believe it. "I wrote the software myself, Nick."

The feeling got worse. Nick blew a careful breath. "Sergeant, we need his phone."

Marki waited until Fang was ready to cover her again before she closed the distance, just in case. She drew a slim smartphone from the second pocket she checked in his backpack and passed it over. Shay only had to tap at it for a moment before her muzzle twisted.

"It's Park's." She let her hoof drop in helpless frustration. Nick saw Judy's ears wilt. "We got played."

It was enough to make his hackles come up all over again. How long had they known? Long enough to plan this and pull ZPD away. Maybe longer. Everything from that first near-disaster with Hornady at Tundratown might have been Park jerking their strings.

Nick turned at a fresh noise, where a riot of emergency colors was pouring through the open gate - ZFD, and more backup from Precinct Four in heavy plates. Marki met all of them in the open space except for the paramedics, who went straight for Patch with a tiny back board and neck brace.

"Sergeant." The big cougar's fire helmet read Carteret. She pointed a paw to the end of the bay, where smoke was now pouring out of the low tunnel. "You need to clear everyone out. CEG says the fire's working on the fuel bays now."

Fangmire, at least, had kept his head enough to snap something about a perimeter to Maritus on his radio. He paused long enough to catch one of the other officers' attention.

"The coyote had a pistol. It's under one of the conveyors." He stabbed a finger at the revolver. "And impound that. CCW discharge."

"Yessir."

It was a blur. The Precinct Four cops carted away that coyote Nick had totally forgotten about. Carteret and the rest of the firefighters put their masks in place and disappeared up the tunnel to recover bodies and do what they could to secure the scene. Marki was arranging for a stretcher for Everett, and Shay had to let Patch's paw go as the paramedics finished their field checks and lifted him away to get him to an ambulance. Nick realized he hadn't even caught his condition.

It left him and Judy standing there with Shay in the center of all of it, feeling very small - especially thanks to Verdegrand looming behind them.

"You can put your hooves down," Nick told him. "Nice timing."

"Yes," Shay said. She was still squeezing the seized phone in a death grip, and she had to swallow hard to continue. "You saved Patch's life. Thank you."

He dipped his antlers. "I'm sorry I wasn't faster, Officer Shayler."

"No it's-" Something seemed to hitch. Shay waved a hoof and shook her muzzle left and right. "I'm sorry. Thank you."

"Where's Claremont?" Judy asked. "This is just a sideshow to whatever Park has planned."

"Safe. Downtown." They all started for the exit at the fire department's urging. "I'll need to speak with her as soon as I can."

Well, that was something. "We'll need your statement first," Nick said. "And with lethal force-" he turned to find the others. "Marki is going to want to debrief you, or Fang."

"I understand," Verdegrand said. Now he was leading the way out into the rain, away from the worst of the smoke. He was grim, when he turned to survey the damage. "I'll make sure she does, too."

\---

Fangmire drove them to Zootopia General, in Savanna Central. Patch's injuries weren't critical, and EMS dispatch said they were going to route around the Rainforest hospitals in case the situation at the burners got worse and they needed the capacity.

Shay didn't say much for the whole ride. She just sat in the front seat and twitched her ears at every break and negative status update out of Tundratown.

When they arrived at the emergency pull-in, Nick got out for a face-to-face.

"Shay."

"I'm all right," she said, as she situated her computer sling. The fear and the anger were still making her tense.

He pointed. "We need to take the phone to evidence."

It was still clutched in her hoof. She blinked down at it. "Oh."

"Make sure he's all right," Nick said. He was a little too familiar with how this went himself. "Stay there with him and rest, if you can."

"You'll need my help to find Park, Nick-"

So that's what that felt like. Nick held up a paw as he got a whole new appreciation for the hell he'd put Fangmire through once upon a time, and the cool knowledge that there was no getting around that particular inheritance now. "Shay, I'll square it with Marki. Go."

The others were looking sympathetic when he saw her off and climbed back into the cruiser, in the back seat so he'd be closer to Judy. She had an evidence bag ready for the phone.

"Fang, did you hear Verdegrand is meeting us?"

"At HQ," he said. The cruiser pulled away. He drove fast.

Only now did Nick have a chance to sit back and reach for his partner's paws. Judy's fur was smudged with smoke and damp from rain, but she wasn't injured. He pressed her fingers between his laced palms.

"You okay?"

"It's not me I'm worried about this time," Judy said. "The medics said his arm might be broken. And if Verdegrand hadn't been there-" Judy swiveled an ear for the rearview mirror. Fangmire was glancing back at them.

He knew, which was why this was okay. Their captain wasn't about to give them grief for doing this, even on the clock. Nick could pull her close, under his chin, to give her what they both needed to hold up just a little longer.

"Fang."

"I'll be all right, Hopps." He flicked one of his own ears, and expression softened - not quite a smile, but close enough. "I didn't have to shoot anyone this time."

Which said the best and worst of it, really. Nick was reminded - for the umpteenth time - just how new they all were to this.

And they still weren't done. In a few minutes, they'd be plunging right back into this crisis, for who knew how long. It made this little instant that much more vital. Judy seemed to know it, too. She pressed under his chin.

Nick pulled on that. He let Fangmire drive, and watched the night lights slide by.

\---

They were the only ones sitting.

Fang leaned against the bookcase, his arms across his chest. Marki was off somewhere, probably on orders from Bogo. The Chief was pacing behind his desk, almost eye to eye with Verdegrand - who was taking the whole ordeal in professional stride. Nick wondered what the interviewer who had taken his statement had made of that.

"The only way I got Claremont to agree to stay put when this broke was to go down there myself," he said. "I imagine she'll be helping the repair teams as soon as she can."

"Forensics is going to need time to work." Bogo held up a hoof. "We're treating this one as arson, too."

Nick had known that, on some level. But if anything, this felt worse than last time. One suspect shot three times in the back, one in custody, and they wouldn't know if there had been more until ZPD had time to go over all the cameras. And now the pressure on the city was even higher.

"I know," Verdegrand said. "And I'm going to do everything I can to slow her down. That will be her mindset, though, the next time you meet with her."

Bogo sighed through his nose and gave Fangmire a long-suffering stare. Nick felt for him. He was stuck navigating board and committee crosstalk that had to be as taxing as any stakeout or car chase, in its own way. Most bureaucrats weren't anything like Claremont, in that they didn't ever get their paws dirty in the nuts and bolts of running the city. "This is you breaking it gently?"

"More or less."

Bogo's reluctance only seemed to grow when he shifted to Nick, and Judy beside him on the big chair. "In the interest of airing everything out, then-" he held up the file he'd been reading. "You should all know that the garage in Tundratown was empty except for Everett's phone."

Judy's weight thumped back against the backrest. He glanced over.

"Park was at Rainforest, then," she muttered. "He had to be, right? Everett doesn't - didn't - know his way around the burners."

"We have to wait for the cameras until we can make that call, Hopps."

"We can step up our own patrols," Verdegrand said. "Deeper into the city."

"That will probably only make things worse," Bogo said. "Especially if Park goes back to Tundratown. Claremont is playing with a lot of lives, Verdegrand. For all we know Rainforest is a sideshow."

His antlers swished as he shook his head. "You and I have been telling her the same thing. But we can't just keep the wall turned off. It's getting too warm out there as it is."

"We know. City Hall agrees with you, even." Bogo leaned forward to look at Verdegrand over his glasses. "If she pushes on this the council is going to have to step in."

_"Step in."_

"Oh, she really hasn't told you." His mood darkened even more.

"I shot an arsonist tonight, Chief." Verdegrand tilted his head down, so he was level with the other. "We're still putting out literal fires. There hasn't been much time to talk."

It took a lot to crack through Bogo, but that seemed to be about enough. He went from grim to downright sympathetic - he even took his glasses off.

"ZPD is stepping back its involvement with Claremont Energy, and the oversight board is talking to City Council about an option for emergency measures. It might freeze her out. Permanently, if it has to."

_"What?"_

They all twisted to stare at Judy.

Nick felt the same reflexive shock, if he was honest. But it made sense, too. CEG might have held the unique labor and IP to fill its contracts, but in the end they were just contracts. With so many at risk, there was going to be a point where the city said enough was enough.

"Rainforest is on fire, Hopps. I suppose it could get worse, but I don't really want to dwell on how."

"It's her company," she said. "She helped build most if it herself."

"And now she's using it like a _weapon,_ " Bogo said. He dropped the file on the desk. "The city won't stand for a showdown. If we can't find Park in time, we have to stop the ones we still can stop." He turned his horns. "I am sorry you had to learn that from me."

But there wasn't surprise in Verdegrand's stance, or in his ears. Just resignation. He shook his head, slow. "I've threatened her with the possibility already, whenever I try to get her to step back from this. Now it's just official."

The intercom beeped. "Chief, you have a visitor."

Bogo sighed and stabbed the button. "I'm in a meeting, Clawhauser."

"No, I mean she's on her way to your office. I don't think Marki even slowed her down."

Well, Claremont was going to find out sooner or later anyway. Nick turned to Judy properly this time, and decided maybe he could reach a paw for her after all. Tonight was going to get harder before it got easier, somehow.

But she was watching Verdegrand. Bogo had rounded on him, too.

"She wasn't supposed to leave Pinnacle, Chief. But I had to tell her where I was."

Bogo held up a hoof and closed his eyes. "We'll just do this now, then. Hopps, Wilde - you can stay, or you can go."

"We're staying," Judy said for both of them, and she only looked over to confirm it after the fact. Nick nodded for her anyway.

Bogo was telling Fang to stick close, too, but to be ready to leave and deal with anything that might already be falling out. Verdegrand just stood ramrod straight beside the desk.

"Verdegrand, are you all right?"

He tilted his antlers toward them.

"I will be," he said. "And Claremont will, too. She hasn't had much chance to show it, but she does still trust your insight, Officer Hopps. And yours, Officer Wilde."

On balance, maybe. But she would be going through much worse than even Nick had tonight. His teammate was just in the hospital with severe blunt trauma. Two of Claremont's had died, and her legacy was burning again.

And her sense, when she stormed through the door ahead of Marki not ten seconds later, was one of barely contained fury. Nick felt his hackles shifting again, just for being so close. He tightened his hidden grip on Judy's paw.

"How many?"

"Two, Ma'am." Verdegrand bowed his head. "Howerth and Rallen."

Her claws were crackling through the short-pile carpet. "And Everett?"

"Dead."

Claremont very nearly hissed.

"It was shoot him, or let Officer LeCarroll be killed as well." His voice was steady as steel. "I'm sorry, Ma'am."

She finally seemed to notice the police filling the rest of the room. Her ears rotated before the rest of her head did, and directed her focus laser-sharp on Bogo, behind his desk.

"How long?"

"Days, at least. We need-"

_"That's not good enough."_

"This isn't about good enough anymore, Ma'am." Bogo was the proverbial immovable object. "The forensics teams need time to assess the damage and interview _survivors_."

Claremont didn't seem to notice or care about his emphasis. "Rolling blackouts in Rainforest. Brownouts everywhere else." She pointed east, vaguely. "And none of that matters if the exchangers at the wall don't come up. You'll lose all of Tundratown. Are you ready for that?"

"Are _you?_ " Bogo countered. Now he leaned over the desk. His horns were still. Nonthreatening. "You know what's at stake, Claremont. If you do anything that makes this worse, your contracts will be void. Your know-how, your engineers - everything gets seized and turned over to-"

"I am fulfilling those very contracts," Claremont cut him off. "There is no margin on habitability."

"And there's no probation if your overreaction only makes things worse," he said. "If you force Park's hooves any more than you already have, that's what you're risking."

"My staff is _dying_ while you and the city roll over and tiptoe around the actions of a terrorist." Claremont snapped. "ZPD failed to draw him out. _You_ -" She stabbed a claw at him - "-dragged your hooves on curfews. No one else is willing to consider what this will take. If I have to call him out myself, then I will."

She hadn't spared him or Judy anything more than a glance, but the indictment still stung personal in Nick's chest. And there was at least some truth to it: Every step they'd made, every bit of evidence they'd wrestled out of this case had come at some sort of cost. It had made Nick take a hard look at everything he did, because of how it might hurt someone in the end. It had made Judy push too far to keep control over a role that had changed when she wasn't looking. He could see that reminder working on her now. She looked like she was about to cry.

And Claremont hadn't backed down. Now she was bearing the fallout that Nick had so narrowly avoided down in Sahara with Judy - and it only stood to get worse, if she didn't change course in time.

"The board never backed anything this reckless, Ma'am." Verdegrand clasped careful hooves in front of him. "They're going to fight you every step on the summit. It's not a good time."

"The board doesn't factor," she said, and turned to go. "This is my decision."

They were all going to watch her do it, too, had Judy not twisted and scrambled to her feet.

"Ma'am-" she said. Her voice was small. "Remember who's counting on it."

Claremont paused by the door, balanced perfectly on her toes, with her paws balled into fists. The rumble in her chest was almost subsonic. Judy stood there and took it - as Fangmire flattened his ears and even Marki bent her knees a fraction.

She had lectured Claremont on what was at stake, Nick remembered. She had warned her that someone would die. If all that did now was twist the knife-

"Verdegrand." She didn't turn.

"I can't leave until they clear me to, Ma'am."

Her shoulders bunched as she wrenched the door open. "Then I'll be in Rainforest."

It cracked shut behind her and left the room ringing. Fangmire uncurled his tail. Bogo let out a long, slow breath.

Judy just stared after where she had gone.

"You are free to go." He motioned at the paperwork on his desk. "Someone will call you when your gun is out of evidence."

Verdegrand ducked his antlers again. "I understand."

"ZPD is obligated to protect this city's residents," Bogo said, before the elk could turn to leave. "Even from her. However she goes through with this, we'll be there to pick up the pieces. Please don't take it personally."

"If I can get through to her, I won't have to," Verdegrand said. Nick could see he didn't think much of his chances, when he looked down to catch his and Judy's attention. He was thinking hard. "I'm sorry it came to this, Officers. I had hoped it would help for her to see you both again."

"We will help, if we still can," Judy said - and this time, Nick nodded in agreement.

"No," Bogo rumbled. "We need to talk." He considered. "I can send Marki or Fang with you, though. Discreetly, until anything official comes down. Keep your boss safe, please."

"Thank you." Verdegrand gave Nick a little nod, too, and made for the door Marki held open for him. She closed it behind her more quietly than Claremont had.

"Chief we-"

" _Sit._ Let me finish."

Judy bounced right back down into her seat. Bogo stalked back past them.

"City Hall and the DA are adamant about this, Hopps. They're pulling our cooperation with CEG back."

"It's just going to give Park room," she said.

"Park has found room anyway." Bogo studied them over his glasses again. For once, his anger wasn't directed at them - not that Nick felt any relief for it. "And you know the risk we're taking if we stay too close to Claremont. I read your reports on Sahara. And on Tundratown before that, and at Pinnacle before that. You know the lines you're dancing around."

It was a compliment, or most of one. Nick had to watch Judy reconcile that. Her ears were slow to relax.

"I haven't had to pull anyone off of this case yet," Bogo said. "Not even after you held three mammals at taserpoint. But the city is only cutting you slack because right now you're our best shot at finding Park before Claremont _does_ draw him out. Clear?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Good." He pointed his glasses toward the door. "Both of you finish your reports and go get seven hours of sleep, minimum. Here, if that's what it takes. Then see to your team."

\---

Nick tapped out a message to Shay, to make sure she was settled in for the night. She reported no change: Patch was OK, and she was progressing on whatever computer work she'd assumed. She was available if they wanted to brief her, but Nick decided to leave it until the next day. If something came up that needed the team's attention, they'd all get notified.

And, if he was honest, he wanted to have Judy to himself for the next few precious hours. And they weren't going to get that staring at the breakroom ceiling, so they were on their way to her apartment.

"Do you have food?" He asked as they crossed the late evening stop. The Grab & Go was still open.

"There's enough," she said, in an exhausted voice. "Leftovers okay?"

"Delicious."

She paused when the door opened to her dark room. "I feel like we should leave the lights off."

Nick's eyes adjusted. He watched her cross to the tiny fridge. "Does this part of town even get power from the burners?"

"It's the principle of the thing." Judy passed him a half-full box of something.

He was too tired to really taste the spaghetti, or its tangy pesto. Judy moved a pitiful salad around on her plate, and took a few bites whenever she saw him watching her.

And there were clothes on her bed, clean ones from the laundry she must have started days ago. Judy plucked at the shirts and pants.

"I forgot about this."

"I'll help," Nick said.

It was supposed to do both of them good, to focus the last of their energy on something quiet and private and shared. Nick fiddled with his phone until some music started up, and they worked on the pile of clothes together, like a reverse puzzle. Some of his shirts were mixed in - Judy selected a soft gray one and stripped down to just her underwear bottoms so she could pull it on as sleepwear. He folded the rest of them, and her towels.

They lay on her bed together to listen to the music and the faint sounds of late summer - the traffic outside, and the indistinct murmurings of Bucky and Pronk next door.

It was supposed to wash out the stress.

Instead, Judy had him so hard it almost hurt. He couldn't blame her.

He was already desperately tired of watching mammals die. And Patch had only escaped by inches. He was replaying it, over and over. He'd made the call. He'd cleared Patch into the catwalks.

"Nick, it's okay."

She brought him back. "I know it's supposed to be, Carrots."

"Don't _do_ this to yourself." Now Judy twisted around so she could get her chin over his, so her frightened eyes were as close as they could get. "Don't second-guess now. Not here."

Her claws needled into him. For her sake, Nick drew on her love and fear and caution and dared to open up and let it in, all at once. Everett was gone. Rainforest was a shambles - and Patch could have died because of Nick's call.

The part that boiled in him now was that he couldn't rewind time. He couldn't change it. He would have to look Patch in the eye tomorrow, and he didn't know how Patch was going to look at him.

But he had to accept that. He and his teammates made their own decisions. The only way forward was to trust them.

Judy kissed him, every time, until it became bearable to keep his head on the pillow with hers. Eventually he was able to push his muzzle closer, to guard her against the night until they both fell asleep.


	21. Chapter 21

Morning might have been a normal summer afternoon, except for the brown-out advisories on the news that made the events of the night before official. Every time Judy caught a headline or a snippet of news filtering through her radio she got that reminder.

Not that everyone was going to notice. CEG was boosting output from its reactor to compensate where it could, and the city was bringing up some older infrastructure as contingency. The hospital had its own generators, too.

Patch's room number was in the new side of the campus, in a different outpatient ward than the one she recognized from when she'd come through here. Instead of facing the street, it had a landscaped approach with wide sidewalks. This early, they were the only ones out here.

They got visitor badges and carried their breakfast into the elevator. Judy stood on tiptoe to peer through the outside windows, so her ears were in the sun. Nick stuck his head in the steam from the coffee carrier and watched her.

"I remember not being able to go out in the nice weather," she said. "I felt kind of guilty thinking about it, with Baird still on the loose."

"It is a nice morning," Nick agreed. He nudged her. "But don't get glum all over his clean hospital scrubs, Carrots. It's not your fault."

She chewed her lip. Now her ears were down, out of the sunbeam. Who was he convincing?

No, it wasn't her fault. Not directly. But Judy couldn't help the regret or the guilt over Patch's injury. They'd raced into this engagement, just like every other setback and confrontation so far. And she'd been too busy with the personal fallout of her missteps to realize how she and Nick had been pulling the others along.

The doors opened on the fifth floor with a quiet ring. Shay looked up in surprise, where she was on her way past with two styrofoam cups.

"Hi, Judy," she said. "Hi, Nick. I thought you were on duty."

"Bogo wanted us to come check in," Judy said.

Shay nodded, and twisted her ears to the stairs next to the elevator bank. "You just missed Fang - Captain Fangmire. He was here with mom to check on us."

"It's nothing official. We just came to say hi." Judy lifted the container in her paws and wished she had time to savor that little shared tidbit. "And to bring you some breakfast."

Shay led them to a private room at the end of the hall. Judy took in her rumpled uniform, and Nick's glance, and hazarded a guess that she hadn't slept much, if at all.

Patch was sitting on top of the sheets in the center of the giant midscale bed, almost fully dressed, alert and anxious. He didn't look that much worse for wear, except for the thick black splint that nearly swallowed his left forearm, and the bandages on his left shoulder. His ears flattened when he saw them.

"Hi, guys."

"What's the verdict?" Nick asked.

"Mild sprain here-" Patch touched his immobilized wrist - "And a bad cut on my shoulder. And they're keeping me here until tomorrow so they can keep checking for concussion."

Lucky, _lucky_ squirrel. Judy would have expected Everett to have broken something with that hit. It was a perverse thing to be thankful for, but Patch's tiny stature might have helped him avoid more injury. He didn't have much inertia.

He was still talking as if he'd lost the limb completely, of course. A squirrel who couldn't climb had to be feeling vulnerable.

Judy clambered up into an upholstered chair on the other side of the bed, clear of the one Shay had obviously been using at the edge next to Patch. Nick turned to put his coffee on the table by the door, and swapped the first two out on the tray table for their friends.

"Is that decaf?" Shay asked.

Nick stopped and eyed Patch.

His tail flicked. "I'll be fine, Shay. I'm not concussed."

She sighed, but she nodded. "They're pretty sure. Thank you, Nick."

"Wasn't going to let you try to stay awake on hospital waiting room coffee," Nick said. "It doesn't work. Judy has some fruit here, too." He motioned for her to scoot over, so they could share the seat.

Shay was already working, it looked like. She had her computer open on the other half of the tray table. Judy could see Marki's morning report open where they'd both been reading.

And it was making Patch restless. He was keyed up, even coming off what had to have been a night of carefully enforced downtime. He didn't seem to know what to do with his injured paw. Every so often he would curl two fingers in their brace, like he was checking to make sure they still worked.

"Sergeant Marki filled us in about Claremont's visit last night," he said. "Did they get anything out of that coyote?"

"If they did, it's in there." Nick pointed. "We didn't hang around."

Patch watched Shay shake her head no. "What's going to happen at the meeting now?"

"We might not be there for it," Judy said. "It depends on what Park does."

"It's reckless, baiting him like this." Shay had Patch's free paw in her hooves. "He sets things on fire. Does Claremont want to add the Palm to that or something?"

"He won't want that associated with him in person," Judy said. "He can't discredit her if everyone knows he's the one pulling the strings to get her to react."

But this was his best chance. Maybe his last one. Schafer was in prison. Everett was dead. ZPD was finally chipping away at the shadowy network, even if it came at the expense of Judy and her teammates' health. Now Park was up against as much of a wall as Claremont.

And Judy knew all too well what desperate mammals tended to do when they were cornered. Nick's ears were all the reminder she needed of how they'd had to fight their way through that lesson together.

"We don't think," she amended.

"Then there has to be something we can do," Patch said.

"Find Park before anyone else gets hurt," Shay said. "And you can rest."

"Shay, I'm not just going to sit this out."

"I didn't say that." She gestured at her computer. "We're out of phones to track. We're going to have to lean on messages and call records. I could use the help."

"You're so much better at that than I am," Patch said. He was squeezing her hoof. "I'm not like you. I'd just slow you down."

"You're not going back in the field with that wrist," she said. "Sergeant Marki will pick up the slack."

"At the last time she can afford that kind of distraction," Patch said. He raised his immobilized paw before she could protest. "You didn't see her in the car, when we had to choose between staying at the wall and going to Rainforest."

"Patch-"

"The only reason we stopped Everett at all was because I was there in time." The sight of the splint seemed to sharpen the anger he was pointing inward. Patch shook his head up at Nick, and at Judy. "Yes, it put me in this bed. But I can get myself out, too."

" _And then what_? Free climb the Palm?" Shay's voice was sharp enough to make Judy's ears rotate back. She looked guilty and forced it level. "This isn't about defying expectations anymore, love. It's not about proving a point about scale. You're not invincible."

He wasn't going to want to hear it. But everything about this was sending Judy right back, to when she'd had to stare at the hospital ceiling during those long nights alone and wonder how Nick was going to stay safe or make progress without her help.

"Sometimes the most important thing you can do is wait and rest, Patch. I've been right where you are."

"With a sprained wrist?"

"With a stab wound." The guilt was just sharpening, now that she thought back on how she'd first met him. "A couple months before you graduated, when I went blind into an alley."

His ears dropped further.

"I spent almost a week in bed. All I could do was sort paperwork and make phone calls, while Nick was off chasing the guy who bought Boots' hits." She looked up at him while she said it. Even now, watching him relive the same thing twisted in her. "And I hated it. For the same reason you do."

"Then you know I can still pull my weight."

"Patch, the point is I was wrong," Judy insisted. "I told you what I knew about being a cop when I met you. About perception and expectation. But I didn't have the full picture then, and I still don't right now. Part of the reason you got hurt is because I forgot that."

But Patch held out an earnest paw. "You never let it stop you. You told me yourself how you got Sergeant Marki and the others to help you, even when it was dangerous."

"And I wouldn't do it again." Judy was standing on her seat.

"We know Park better than anybody. We know his goons better than anybody." Patch twisted to Shay. "I know it's dangerous. I know you worry for me every time we're out there, because everyone else is a lot bigger than I am. But that's what we signed up for."

She flicked away from where she was watching Nick long enough to protest. "No, it's-"

"Mammals could die because I'm not there to do my job when they need me the most."

"Mammals have already died because of my decisions." Judy shook her head hard enough to make her ears sway. Patch was ready to accept, or worse, ignore the risks his job always carried, if that meant he could still do what he knew was expected of him. And that was her fault, as much as it was his. "You could have died, too, because I didn't see what those decisions did to you until it was too late. I won't make that any worse. You shouldn't, either. There are too many mammals depending on us."

His little face darkened, though whether it was from pain or realization Judy couldn't tell. "So you know better?"

_"Patch."_ Shay looked quietly shocked.

Judy held out a paw. At least some of that was warranted. "It's not about that."

"Isn't it?" He waved the brace on his arm, and this time his wince definitely was one of pain. He buried it. "I'm the one wearing the reminder. Message sent. But maybe that's something I have to learn myself."

The worst part - the part Judy didn't want to consider, because it meant she had failed - was that he might be right. She had kicked this off, but now there might not be anything she could do to help him find those crucial lines.

"I'm sorry, Patch."

"You can still trust me to do my job." He looked trapped in that bed, staring at his injuries. "I wish you would."

\---

There was nothing else they could do after that. Even Shay looked like she was going to say something about it eventually, and Judy didn't want to make it any worse.

So they'd spent the day tolerating demonstrators at Pinnacle. It was freshly tense, now that the power plants had been on fire. Like everyone was holding their breath. Worse, even with that news police presence had already faded to the minimum, on orders from the oversight board.

They'd sat in the lobby with maps of Sahara Square and shift orders on hardcopy. Claremont's summit was just days from now. Even with ZPD setting up to run perimeter security it was bound to be an irresistible target - and if their luck kept on as it had, Judy was worried about more collateral damage.

That evening, she found there would be no progress on the puzzle after all. Her thoughts were still too loud. Every time she tried to set a new piece, her mind would run off on its own, to the sight of Patch in his bed, or to the sound of Claremont's claws in the carpet.

Eventually she was up and pacing in front of the long windows. Nick was there for her at the end of one of her rounds.

"You, too, huh?"

"Nick." His chest fur muffled it.

"It's okay, Carrots." But his claws said maybe it wasn't entirely okay. "It's been a busy couple of days."

There was still a piece in her paw. Its edges cut into her fingers. Nick teased them open and smiled down at it.

"Let's go get some food," he said. "We'll take it for another walk. Sort this out."

\---

They wound up amid the broad sidewalks and planters in Riverfront, by the boardwalk - just them, their sandwiches and the time they needed.

Judy willed it to pass quickly. Nick knew something was up, and he was here and ready to help however he could, the way he always did - but the longer this went on the more she she worried he would feel the turmoil in her head was aimed at him.

She'd finished her pita, so she carried their big iced tea. Nick was still working on his, with bell peppers and cucumber. He watched her while he chewed, but he was letting her set the pace.

"You said we were too close to this." Judy worked her paws around the chilly drink. "I think you were right."

"In Sahara?"

"About all of it. With Claremont. With Patch. Putting myself in the hospital is bad enough."

He finished his food before he spoke. "That showdown could have gone a million different ways."

"It's not just about Rainforest," Judy said. She sighed and ticked events off backwards on her fingertips, at the edge of the cup. "Everett got as far as he did because CEG shifted its security. That only happened because Claremont decided she needed to take over. She was angry at how Sahara played out." She was out of fingers. "And Sahara is on me."

Judy watched Nick swallow several different opinions. She passed him the tea.

"I can't debate that last one," he said, after he'd drank. His ears were flat. "But Claremont is making her own decisions. Patch is, too."

"I encouraged him this whole time." Judy shook her head. He'd taken it to heart, too, from the very beginning. Her drive to succeed and make progress against Park was contagious, for better and for worse. And if she hadn't seen the damage of her poor decisions until now, how would he have? "You were right about that, too. It's my responsibility. And he doesn't want to consider that I'm wrong yet."

They paused by one of the Riverfront sculptures, a wood and wrought-iron jumble that kits sometimes played on like a jungle gym. Nick leaned against the bars.

"Wasn't it Fang who said it? You have to deal with things the way they fall?"

"Patch didn't _fall_ ," she said. "He did what he thought he had to. What I told him to."

"As they happen, then." Nick held out a paw. "My point is we can't change what he did. But we won't have time to help him with his rehab if we're parked at the Palm, either." He leaned forward to get closer to eye level. "You know what you did at Sahara, and why it was wrong."

"Of course."

"And you can't change that it happened. All you can do - all I can do, or Marki or Patch can do, is know why something went sideways, and try not to make that mistake again."

That wasn't going to do any good if she'd already lodged the idea in Patch's head: There was no expectation too lofty. And he was too much like her. She'd taken risks, chased perps alone, talked Marki and Fangmire into letting them bend rules as they hunted Baird because she thought she was doing things the right way.

He would do the same, if they let him. Except this time the whole city could feel that fallout, not just some small-time smuggler. Claremont seemed ready to scorch everything in her wake to square up with Park because of how Judy had tipped things.

She could step in. She could keep pushing on Patch, she could get him to see the risk he and she both presented, because she knew already how that recklessness ended.

But the last time Judy had tried to force the issue she'd nearly shot someone.

"We've learned this already," she said. "Why can't he see that? I hate watching him stumble through the same things we did."

Nick - smiled, slow and sad. He put his drink down in the grass and looked around, ears alert, so he could pull her closer with his paws on her shoulders.

"I'm kind of glad someone else knows how that goes now."

That squeezed at her heart, but it didn't make it any easier to bear. Her claws scratched on his uniform where he was holding her up. "If he pushes too far on this-" She couldn't finish that. "His luck isn't going to last forever."

"I've been worrying about that since he went off on his own after Everett." Nick's voice changed, as he shifted from looking around to looking down at the top of her head. "But we told him what he needed to hear. Do you trust him to remember it?"

"I don't trust what I did to him."

Nick sighed against her. "But do you trust _him?_ Leave everything else out: you, Everett, this whole mess."

Judy had to rewind, through the case and their first visits to Rainforest, past Baird, all the way back to when she'd first met Patch at the Academy, as a wide-eyed nugget who hung on her every word.

"I want to. Yes."

Nick let her go. He bent to pick up the drink and they continued on the winding path, under the evening lights. He stayed quiet, until the possum and the mink in workout gear on the other side of the walk were out of hearing.

"I've- hesitated, each time. I had to pull us out of Sahara." He was inspecting his claws, and looking guilty. "But I thought about doing it earlier, too, when they got in our face at the Tundratown antenna. I even wanted to stay with you at home after Everett caught us out, that first time, because everyone we've tangled with since then has looked like the next Baird."

She found his paw, and he squeezed her back. It seemed to help.

"But it's not just me out here," he said. "And I don't think I really got that, either. Not until yesterday. I can't just keep you or anyone else away from the bad parts of this job. Sometimes that's less safe than just depending on each other."

They all had to learn some things themselves, in other words. Judy squeezed Nick's paw in hers, hard. _No matter how intimately others might know the stakes._

It went against just about every bit of her drive to help, to improve things, to make the city safe.

And if it was true, it meant Judy had something else to confront, that she'd already learned but refused to accept: Forcing things back to whatever used to pass for normal might only make them worse. She'd learned that in Tundratown. In Sahara. With Claremont.

And now not even Patch was exempt. Not even he or Shay would stay the same, no matter how much she and Nick tried to protect them from their own mistakes.

They had changed their friends, and Judy knew they could never change them back.

Nick spent the next stretch of path watching her ears, until they came to the balcony that stretched out over the gentle water. Judy climbed onto the mid-scale concrete seat at the edge next to the flower planters, so she could see over the railings.

Eventually she thought she could risk a shaky sigh. "How long were you holding onto that?"

It drew a single breath of amusement. "Since last night sometime. I was going to tell you after we talked to Patch, but we had work to do." His paw pressed one of her ears ever so gently against his muzzle. "Sorry, Carrots."

"No." Before that they'd been so preoccupied with trying to steal a moment of normal that it had slipped through. There was no one to blame. "I hope it helped you as much as it just did me."

"It did." He smiled down at her and sat. "I'm okay for now."

Judy was, too, and she made sure to show it. This would take a long time to process. Many more nights like this, probably. But they were back on balance for now. They knew how they had to deal with whatever came next.

And it wasn't next yet, and that counted for something.

They leaned against each other and watched the indistinct city lights reflecting off the water. Nick teased her with the bent straw in their tea until she seized it between her teeth to drain the last of the cup with a rattle. They explored the violas in the planter, under the soft night lights on the bench.

And Nick tipped her muzzle up so he could steal a proper kiss while the plaza was still quiet. She was going to hold him to it when his phone buzzed.

He took one look at the screen and pushed his reluctant snout under her chin anyway. She could feel his claws.

"It's Verdegrand."

Okay, _now_ it was next. Judy held on for just a moment longer. "I love you."

"I know." He visibly braced himself and put it on speaker. "Wilde here."

"I'm sorry for the late call, Officer Wilde. Is Officer Hopps with you?"

Nick tightened a selfish arm around her shoulders. "Yes."

"I need your help, one last time."


	22. Chapter 22

Judy hadn't wanted to return to this part of Sahara Square so soon. The vivid memories were still chasing her, as Nick took their unmarked car up the access road toward Tundra Gate.

He knew it, too. He was watching her gaze out the window at the shops and sand dunes sliding by.

"This was the fastest way to the wall," he said.

"I'm okay, Nick." She turned to him. "Eyes on the road."

This was technically unsanctioned. If anyone cared to check on the car's GPS they'd see Nick and Judy were defying City Hall's decision to back ZPD well clear of Claremont's activities. But here they were.

Judy hoped that at worst it would be misuse of department assets. Verdegrand had made it clear this was a personal request. They weren't climbing through the sand toward the windswept edges of the wall as police officers.

Still, something uneasy was tickling at Judy, for grabbing their coats and going back to the wall at all. It felt cloak-and-dagger, and not just because Verdegrand was being cryptic.

The baffles rose on either side of the roadway as they went, to keep the constant shifting sand at bay. Graduated fins along the top knocked down most of the ferocious wind, until they were in a veritable and then a real tunnel through the base of the structure. Reflections from the long LED strips in the ceiling slid over the hood and windshield.

"He said the maintenance bay would be on the right side," Judy said. She pointed. "I think it's there."

The overhead door opened for them as they approached. Yellow lights revolved along the base. There were snowplows and sand-sweepers alike parked inside, and a loading dock where Verdegrand was waiting, in the same cold-weather gear they'd first seen him in. The tablet he'd used to control the doors was still in his hooves.

"Thank you both for coming," he said.

"Everything all right, Verdegrand?" Nick paused by his driver's side door. "If this is an emergency, someone on duty will have to help."

"No, this is personal." He pointed up. "Claremont is working up top. I wanted you to see it - and she has something for you, too."

Judy glanced at her partner. "Anything you need."

He led them into the pristine hallways, past the hum of well-tuned compressors and circulators, and into a stretch where the ranks of machines were all still silent: shut down, until repairs were done. Hard-hatted mammals with clipboards and tools clustered around them. Judy watched a mouse pointing out capacitors and connections to his team, on a circuit board larger than he was.

"How long?" she asked.

"Two days, at most. We're still just barely on schedule. Everyone's working, even Claremont."

Verdegrand called an elevator for them and they started up. It was like the first time they'd come through here. Judy couldn't remember how long it had been now.

"Until yesterday, nobody had died," he said. He obviously saw her surprise. "I got her to channel it into fixing things, instead of squaring off with the board downtown, or crowding things at the burners. She still knows the equipment here better than almost anyone."

Judy stepped into the harness she would need and cinched the straps. "How can we help?"

"You're the closest thing to everyday mammals she had this whole time," he said. "She lost sight of that when Park started knocking over more buildings."

"Do you need us to talk to her?"

"No." Verdegrand hesitated. "And it's for the best that you don't try, probably. I don't want to disturb her now that she's found a groove again."

"A groove."

He tilted his antlers. "She hasn't slept since Rainforest. I don't know how long it will last."

"Oh."

"Just as well we can't actually bill this time," Nick said. "City Hall wouldn't like us freelancing."

Judy shot him a patient look. Verdegrand's lip twitched.

"Any other time, I would owe you," he said. The elevator clicked to a smooth halt at the top of the wall. On the other side of the airlock doors, Judy could see the weird twilight of the hot and cold sides meeting in a flurry of icy flakes. "I'm using you, because it might help her remember why she pushed her company into this fight in the first place." He looked down at them "I hope you can forgive me for that."

The doors hissed apart.

Judy could hear the deep rush of the wind, and feel the perfect gradients of heat and cold meeting almost exactly in the center of the catwalk down the spine of the wall. But with the exchangers on this stretch shut down during the demolition on the ground, the air was mostly still. It was surreal.

They clipped into the guardrail and started down. Verdegrand led them midway along the segment, onto the cold side, so they could see down toward the lip of the wall.

Claremont was belayed with a reindeer and an otter, with hard hats and headlamps so they could see what they were doing as night fell. She was up to her elbows in compressor pumps, just like she'd been when Judy had first met her. As they watched, she reached up to switch off her light and looked up at them.

The distance was still too great to hear across, but now Judy could see the glimmer of Claremont's sensitive eyes as they shifted from Nick to her. She raised a paw and got what might have been a slow nod from the tiger in return.

"Howerth and Rallen." Verdegrand was watching them. "Two mammals died for her vision last night, whether they knew it at the time or not. She knows. She's going to do what she feels she has to."

Judy could only guess at that feeling, and could only appreciate the corner Claremont was in all the more. She'd only started to sort through what she'd caused herself, and the worst Patch had was a sprained wrist. If he was gone, instead...

"She hasn't called off the meeting," she said. Somehow, she knew.

"No." Verdegrand reached into his huge coat. "These are for you, actually."

They were heavy cardstock folios, custom-scaled for her and Nick's paws. Judy brushed a finger over the filigreed palm tree on the front. "VIP invites?"

"As representatives of the city, yes. Whether that's in your official capacity will be up to you and your chief." Verdegrand put his hooves on the railing and looked down at Tundratown.

That was the question. They would need to convince him, and Marki, too, if this was as important to Claremont as Verdegrand made it sound.

She had gone back to her work, headlamp on. Not even they would be able to distract her for long, it seemed. Judy envied that focus right now. Claremont was maybe the only one who took these setbacks harder than Judy herself - and even with the events of Rainforest not 24 hours old, she was pushing forward. Doing what she had to.

Maybe she knew things would never go back to normal, too.

"Thank you, Verdegrand."

"She's angry. She will be for a long time, no matter what work puts in front of her." Verdegrand was watching his boss. "But she never took your names off the list, not even after she kicked you out. I like to think that means something."

"We'll find Park," she said. "Before he can do any more damage."

It was quiet enough to hear Verdegrand's resigned sigh. "We might be able to help with that."

"We're not supposed to work directly with you anymore." Judy winced. "You heard Chief."

"No." Verdegrand's antlers rotated in the glow from the warm side. "But I'm going to tell you anyway, because you're going to need it: Micah Park was the first invitation on the list."

Bristling fur was unpleasant in the dueling temperatures. Judy caught the click of Nick's claws, where he was squeezing the railing.

"Huh," he said. "And has he returned an RSVP?"

"I almost hope he decides it's a trap," Judy muttered. "That's _dangerous_ , Verdegrand."

"I can't change her mind now," he said. "I tried again last night. But it's not up to me any more."

ZPD would have its ring around the hotel. But if they had any presence inside, it was bound to be slim. The oversight board had made up its mind.

It wasn't a matter of trusting CEG's security. Judy knew Verdegrand and his team were competent, when they were in the right place at the right time. But this was the last play now, for Claremont and for Park. It was bad enough that he might use the meeting as another distraction. It could be worse if he took her up on her invitation.

"She knows that more mammals could die." Judy didn't like even putting that into words.

Verdegrand nodded. "She does when she's not seeing red."

Nick shifted. "You're going to want a better pitch for City Hall, I think."

"She doesn't want this, either." Verdegrand watched down at where Claremont was working. "The guilt is eating her alive, Officers. And deep down, I think she would still rather see herself cut off than betray the trust of an entire city, if it comes to that." He indicated the invites. "Maybe this is how she wants to do it. Maybe she needs that to come from you."

\---

Judy wished that was reassuring.

Instead, all she felt was uncomfortable. They were racing Park now, and even without Claremont's involvement Judy had plenty to hesitate over. ZPD wouldn't normally be interrogating a suspect so quickly after they'd been evacuated for head trauma - but the medics hadn't found any signs of concussion in their coyote, no matter how shell-shocked he looked, so Setter was already here leaning on him.

Judy listened to the microphones hiss and tried to keep her feet still. Nick had his paw against her neck, rubbing at the stress.

"Listen, I just got paid." His voice was still scratchy from smoke inhalation. "Everett sent me cash."

"For how long?" Setter asked. "How much?"

"A week, maybe. It was... a lot. A hundred grand or something, he didn't even bother counting."

"For one night?"

The coyote's expression wobbled. It might have been a trick of the one-way mirror glass. "They just needed someone who knew their way around the access roads. I helped with construction. A few years ago. He didn't tell me he was going to blow the place up."

Nick tilted his head above her. "Do you think it was the nonlethal knocking some sense into him, or is it just that the third-tier goons don't get the fancy attorneys?"

Judy swallowed. "Or maybe Setter's just that good."

"The stories must be true, what they say about him cleaning up at the poker tournament every year."

She wished she felt like smiling. Nick was trying, for her sake. She reached up to squeeze his paw back.

The coyote was tapping claws on the table. "I didn't think anyone was going to die. Everett gave me the gun, I didn't-"

"Let's go back a bit." Setter abruptly sounded understanding, almost sympathetic. It made his charge's ears come up, and he probably didn't even realize. "When was the very last time you saw Park?"

"Last night." He scratched the back of his head, and stopped when it appeared to hurt. "Or two nights ago. Before Rainforest. Park was yelling at Everett. I- well, it was bad. I could hear it even from the car."

That was new. Last time they had seen Park - and it had been a long time, to be fair - he'd been more stable about his antagonism. It sounded like that was changing, but like everything else lately that was good and bad: Recklessness would carry the risk of more collateral damage.

Marki slipped through the observation room door, looking expectant. This was clearly important enough to pull them away, even from a questioning that might get them something new. Judy turned to go.

Setter hadn't changed his body language or his gravelly tone at all. "Where? The very last time you saw him."

"285 Floe Street. On the business loop."

"That's where they surrounded Everett's phone yesterday," Nick muttered, and followed. "Forensics has already picked the place apart; It doesn't get us anything."

"Get Shayler on the line and wait for Fangmire," Marki said when they were out in the bright hallway. "Bogo will be done with the board soon."

"Yes, Ma'am."

They returned to their cubicle, which was feeling roomy. Shay was at her own desk across town for once, mostly incommunicado while she worked to reestablish some sort of trace on Park through the city's networks. When the video window opened, she was staring at something on one of her myriad of screens.

"Hi, guys."

"Any news?" Judy asked.

"This is harder to do from the other end." Poor Shay looked like hadn't been sleeping last night then, either. Her glasses were slipping, and this time she wasn't correcting them. "I have all the subpoenas I care to get, but they take more time to trace. I'm watching phones from the few known associates we have left, just in case they start getting common calls. And the interview. Did you see this?"

_Oh._ "I meant about Patch."

"He's on his way back." Now Shay did turn to face the camera. "He was meeting with the staff PT in Rainforest this afternoon." Her expression collapsed as she saw how Judy reacted. "How bad is it?"

"You're no good to him if you tip over on assignment," Judy said, and tried to soften it with a smile she didn't really feel. "And we have a lead that might help, but you're not going to like it."

"I'll take bad news if it means a nonzero lead count."

"Claremont invited Park to the meeting," Nick said. "Officially."

"You're right. I don't like it." She rubbed a hoof over her muzzle. "At least our perimeter's in place. Does Chief Bogo know?"

"Marki's meeting him now," Nick said.

"I'll start pulling reports from the Sahara detail, then."

"Thanks, Shay. Anything else?"

"All our other suspects in custody are still mum. Not even a sighting on Park, even with the photos and media packages we've sent out. We froze his assets a week ago, but that doesn't get us any closer."

"It's not all bad," Nick said. "Our new friend folded like a chair, right? Maybe he'll give us something else."

"Hopps." Marki stood in the doorway. "Green light."

Judy sat up straighter. "As close protection?"

"Observers." Marki ducked to look at the camera. "Get set up for Sahara, Shayler."

"Yes, Ma'am."


	23. Chapter 23

Judy's dress blues were cut for clean lines and a certain elegance, not body armor. But it was the only way City Hall had agreed to ZPD's presence at the hotel: A small team watching for trouble on the main stage, and no tasers or pepper guns where the public could get in the way. Judy and Nick would have batons, their cuffs, and standing orders to clear the deck if something went wrong.

But they were also there to turn around and arrest Claremont, if she did anything reckless. Judy still wasn't sure she was ready to do that, no matter how good the case was that it was dangerous to leave her in control.

"Got everything?" Nick asked from behind her. He came out of his closet to put his arms around her waist. His claws gave a dull tap on the kevlar.

She double-checked that her cuff keys were in place. "I feel light without my usual belt," she said.

His ears dropped in the mirror.

"Sorry."

"No, you're right." Nick stayed close, to drag out the moment. His nose brushed her ear. "You okay?"

"So far."

He held on, maybe until he decided he was, too. "I hope I'm not jinxing it when I say this is almost over."

"I know."

"And then we can sleep for days." His nose found her cheek. "Did you call Patch?"

"Not yet." Judy knew she should. Marki had cleared him to be onsite during the summit, but they hadn't spoken since the hospital. She told herself the timing wasn't right, but that was just her avoiding the eventuality.

Patch was right, and now they both knew it. She couldn't influence this for him, and it had been wrong of her to try. Now he deserved to hear her say it.

Sahara promised to be oppressive, with the long layers over armor. Nick parked them in a civil service slot about a block from the perimeter, which was in full swing. They walked past idling cruisers and beat patrols all the way to the hotel, and didn't see many residents.

There was a checkpoint set up at the entrance, with a gaggle of big, stone-faced cops scattered around the metal detectors. The rhino on duty gave Judy a nod of recognition and waved them through.

The Palm took its oasis theme seriously. The lobby was a soaring four stories, full of waterfall white noise and a kaleidoscope of plant life. Marki was with Verdegrand, to one side of the opulent reception desk. Judy felt better seeing her in her usual fatigues and vest - no doubt as the dependable emergency option. Verdegrand's suit was clearly hiding armor, too.

"Good to see you, Officers," he said. "I've shown the others to the security room. My team is at Officer Shayler's disposal, if you need someone to place that stingray."

"I'll see to it," Marki said, and started to drift off. Judy could see the little gray box in her paws.

"I am sorry about the setup," Verdegrand said. He led them toward a waiting elevator and pressed the _R_ key. It whisked they away, nonstop. "We won't be able to talk much once we get underway at noon."

"It's all right," Judy said. She had to set aside the thoughts of Patch. "How's Claremont?"

"Better, I hope." If CEG's future hinging on the next hours was bothering Verdegrand, he wasn't showing it. "I found her in the gym this morning, which is probably a good sign."

"Can we talk to her?"

Verdegrand watched three floors go by. "It would have to be her decision. She's calling the shots until it's done."

"Is she going on stage?" Nick asked.

"Yes. Right at the beginning." Verdegrand checked the chronograph on his wrist as the car slowed and the doors opened. He looked reluctant. "You know your positions? At either side?"

"We do."

"You can move around if you need to," he said. "Most everyone up here understands we're all just doing our jobs." He pointed out a boar in a golden house jacket, who was directing other staff to prepare tables and countertops with various settings. "You can talk to Arriff there if you need someone from the hotel's side of things."

"Thanks, Verdegrand."

You've got my number, if you need me before we get started." He reached down to shake their paws. "If I don't get a chance to say so later - thank you for being here."

He left the possibilities unsaid - that they might be the ones to step in and bring the whole ordeal to a sudden, necessary end. That had to be unsettling for him, too. He thrived on control and stability, as much as Claremont did.

And now they were alone, as the sole duty members of the police force in the entire venue, as far as Judy could tell. They walked along the mezzanine that slashed through midair above the main floor, overflowing with greenery from every biome.

The dais was set up on the balcony outside, under the huge fronds that made up the hotel's roof. Nick peered through the still-closed doors.

"Nice place," he said, and returned a CEG security cougar's nod. "We should come back here the next time we don't have a city to save. How do you think they manage the air?"

Judy could feel it, too. It got cooler as they went from one end of the room to the other, from amid cacti and palm fronds to the short grasses and lichen-laced boulders more suited to cold environments. "I think it might be Claremont's wall tech."

Arriff was busy, but he was unfailingly polite when they peppered him with questions about the venue and preparations.

"It's more security than we're used to," he allowed. "From ZPD and the corporate types. your colleagues have insisted on checking everything that comes in, and that slows us down. We're missing things thanks to the jumble - table cards, staff uniforms. We had to bring up extra hors d'oeuvres."

Judy mustered a smile. "Sorry about the hassle, sir."

"Believe me, I understand that you're just doing your jobs," he said. "With how things have been in the news, I can't blame you for that."

Nick raised his eyebrows at Judy and inclined his head. "Thanks. Let us know if anything out of the ordinary comes up, okay?"

"Certainly, Officers."

They stood at one of the small-scale tables by the stairs to watch staff and CEG reps come and go. Judy fiddled with her earpiece.

"How's the view from downstairs, Shay?"

"There you are," she said. "Someone just called one of our hotlines with a tip on Park. They say they might have seen him on Moraine again."

Judy scowled at Nick. She'd had her radio out for two minutes. "It's just like him to use this as cover."

"I pinged Precinct Three. We can't do much more from here."

"At least they're getting faster at responding. Is Patch with you?"

"Right here," he came back. "I'm sorry about yesterday, Judy."

Nick gave her a steady smile from across the table. It helped.

"It's all right, Patch. Don't worry about it just now. What are you working on?"

"Helping Shay. Lots of cameras. The hotel has its own cell site, too."

No wonder Marki had brought a stingray. Did Patch know? Probably, if his glum voice was anything to go on. That would have been his job.

"If we get a hit through that it's going to be pure luck," Shay said. "But our other option is visual ID, and this is a lot of perimeter. Our odds aren't anywhere close to certain."

"Nick and I are stuck up here for the duration," Judy said. "You're still our best eyes and ears for the whole building."

"We know," Shay said. "If Park shows up with his invite here instead, you'll be the first to know about it."

"Keep us posted on that call."

They wandered to kill the rest of their time, as the atrium filled with a broad cross-section of species and roles. There were board members from CEG and the police committee. Judy saw city councilmembers, executives, journalists, and a whole lot of plain old residents from Tundratown and Sahara here on invitation. Claremont wanted to talk not only to the decision makers, but also to those their decisions influenced.

And everyone was behaving themselves so far, probably thanks to ZPD keeping the obvious demonstrators out of the main event. Judy and Nick checked security anyway, one last time. The elevator bank was the main access, but there were stairwells on either side of the main floor and a dimly-lit arts council gallery off the mezzanine. CEG's mammals reported all quiet. They'd gotten the Tundratown alert, too.

Claremont appeared precisely at noon from the glassed-in conference room on the second floor. She was wearing a dark suit, shaking paws and hooves left and right with a somber expression on her face, and didn't appear any worse for her late night of repairs at all. She looked across the room long enough to make eye contact, and then moved on. Judy heard Nick blow a careful sigh.

She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring look and stood away from the table. "Showtime. Marki, are you ready?"

"Ready."

"Shay? Patch?"

"All set here," Patch replied.

They pushed through the heavy glass doors of the atrium. It was warm on the rooftop balcony, but not intolerable. There was an obvious scaled-down version of CEG's chiller keeping one side cold, for comfort and tech demonstration at the same time. The giant leaves above them - cleverly disguised solar panels, also bearing the CEG logo - kept the sun off.

Attendees started to filter in among the multiscale tables, with drinks from the shaded bar in the back. Judy took her position on the edge of the dais nearest the glass doors and stayed out of everyone's way. There were plenty of reindeer out here. She kept re-checking the antlers.

And she jumped when the chiller cycled and billowed a curtain of sublimated air around its base, like a miniaturized version of the vents in Tundratown. It spread out under the tables and even made it to where Judy could feel it cooling her toes.

And it may as well have been some signal, because as the cloud faded into the hot air someone stepped up to the lectern and launched into an introduction. It was one of Claremont's remaining board members, Judy gathered, and while he was being polite about it she got the sense he didn't know exactly what was coming, either. This could get awkward for a lot of them, if they wound up having to escort Claremont away.

As it was, the big tiger looked ready for a fight, and the applause that scattered around as she stepped to the mic seemed to push on her. The white patches on her ears flickered back, then front.

"I wish I were here under better circumstances," she said as the greeting died down so it was just the quiet hum of the climate pump. "I know I owe all of you that. And this isn't going to be easy for me, or comfortable for you. But some things just have to be done."

It wasn't a promising start. Judy could see a couple of CEG's leadership types in the audience sliding already, from neutrality to resignation or concern. A couple of mice on the raised seating near the front glanced at each other. A duiker halfway down the center aisle with an intern's badge around her neck was chewing nervously on a pen.

"This meeting is about responsibility," Claremont went on. "Responsibility for blackouts and fires, for sabotage and arson, and a misguided campaign of zero-sum revenge."

True, for the most part, but they had never made charges official. Judy willed herself to pull her eyes and ears back forward, on the rest of the gathering. She had to let Claremont speak - even if that meant she was going to dig herself a hole with the press and the courts.

"Everything this company has achieved in a few short years has been because I drive a singular dedication to good. For the most mammals, for the longest time." Claremont paused and looked to be measuring her words. "It means I have to make difficult decisions. I cut out those who don't align with the leadership's goals - my goals - with very little regard for what they might think of me. Because in the grandest scheme of things, any objections they raise are irrelevant."

"Got another hit," Shay said in her ear.

Judy hated juggling two conversations at once, especially with Claremont being so ominous up there. But with news like that she didn't have a choice.

"Same call, reporting a sighting two blocks closer to the wall," Shay read off. "But responding officers are coming up blank. Judy, does Verdegrand know?"

The big elk was stock-still on the back of the dais. Judy couldn't see or hear his earpiece - but he'd balled his right hoof into a fist at his side. He was scanning the crowd.

"Probably."

"Still no location?" Patch asked.

"I'm trying to trace it," Shay said. "It didn't last long. There's not much to fix on."

"Okay."

And here they were, stuck on a rooftop halfway across the city. Judy shifted to Nick, slowly. His ears said _careful. Easy._ She relaxed her shoulders.

"Change wasn't supposed to be this messy, or even this public. And yet it is inescapably public: I have been trying to drive something brief and uncomfortable through, so that greater good can come of it." Claremont held an open paw out to the chiller on the edge of the roof. "It is working, whether detractors want to admit it or not. Claremont Energy is still fulfilling its obligations to all of Zootopia."

And the unease tensed Judy right back up. Park had to be enjoying this, wherever he was watching right now. It was exactly the sort of reaction he wanted, and the sort that Claremont couldn't afford. If she kept this up, he wouldn't have to do anything else to make his point. She would bring herself down, and he would have his revenge.

"Almost there." Patch was breathing hard.

_Almost where?_

"And especially now, especially when we're this close to not only repairing damage but also improving the quality of life for so many - I cannot and will not let the provocations of a few dictate the course."

Judy felt herself twist at that, to face in toward the dais. She could see Nick's own restlessness, at her reaction and at the caustic tone of Claremont's promise. He was watching her. But she was watching Claremont.

 _"Got it,"_ Patch said.

"Checking." Shay breathed over the line. "It came from here. Judy, someone's calling the tip lines from inside the Palm."

She almost didn't hear it, she was so focused the other way. She was willing Claremont to look down at her, to not make Judy draw the cuffs on her belt. If there was anything left of the respect they used to share, Judy needed it to work right now. Whatever she said next was going to seal this for her.

And it didn't click until a beat later, until after Claremont had paused long enough to lock eyes with Judy. Marki had brought another stingray for Shay - and someone had gone out to place it.

Patch had to be out climbing.

Judy stared back at the edge of the roof, and the sheer drop beyond the safety railings. Her thumb hovered over her pawset button. He was beyond reckless, pushing himself through injuries to do this now, when they had to be watching every direction at once for something that might not even appear-

And when, at the same time, they might need every edge they could get.

Judy caught Nick's own bristling concern and had to push the feeling down, where she knew it belonged, and let her paw drop again. Yes, it was reckless. But she couldn't stop what had started. Not now.

"But a civil servant had to remind me recently that that absolute goes both ways," Claremont said. "One mammal can shift everything with a single decision, for better or for worse." Her eyes didn't exactly warm, but something in her expression changed when Judy risked searching it again. "And that decision becomes outsized when the welfare of so many other mammals is resting on its outcome."

Judy could see Verdegrand's antlers moving, as he looked back and forth.

"I haven't just lost something valuable to the company," she said. "I've sacrificed it. Thrown it away. I've twisted my legacy into a drive for victory at any cost."

And _that_ didn't click until Judy realized everyone was paying rapt attention now, all the way down to the wait staff. Judy dedicated an entire ear to the speech, professional conduct be damned, and dared to hope.

"Every headline, every chant - every angry call I take is supposed to remind me of that." Claremont shook her head. "Instead, I have ignored and betrayed the trust I built with every single resident of this city."

"It's still coming in," Shay said. "And another."

"Just watch it," Nick murmured. "And watch the stream. Things are happening kind of fast up here."

"The damage to the climate wall, the unrest and fear boiling just under the surface all over the city right now - in the end, that is my responsibility." She raised her chin. "Mammals died two nights ago, in fires at Rainforest. They were fighting to preserve what this company is supposed to represent. Their passing is on my paws." Claremont was making eye contact with everyone she could, it looked like. " _Mine._ I have put everyone who depends on me and my company at unforgivable risk. And it has taken me too long, and cost this city far too much to see that."

She didn't acknowledge Judy again after that, but she didn't have to. The relief was a pressure in Judy's chest, because somehow she already knew she'd made the right decision.

"Effective immediately, I am stepping back from CEG's relocation and repair efforts. The board of directors will assume full control, until-"

She stopped, and fixed her attention down the center of the crowd so completely that Judy swore she could feel the air moving. She turned, just as Shay hissed in her ear.

_"Judy-"_

A reindeer in a golden house uniform was in the open at the back of the main aisle, stalking toward them.


	24. Chapter 24

Judy didn't remember moving; she was simply frozen between Park and Claremont, watching Verdegrand put his huge frame in front of her. Marki appeared from nowhere.

How he'd gotten here wasn't important right now. How he'd stayed one step ahead didn't matter. They could see him in the fur for the first time since that interrogation in Tundratown - and now they had to stop him before he could do any more damage.

The clammy fear that grabbed at Judy was that once again, they didn't know what that could mean. They couldn't tell whether Park was armed, or if he had backup. It was his move, and she doubted he was just going to let Marki walk up to him with the taser she'd drawn.

"Judy." Nick was urgent, and close enough that she could hear him without the aid of the radio. She moved to help, without taking her eyes off Park. They had their orders. They had to get the rest of them clear.

"Park, stop where you are," Marki called.

To Judy's surprise, he did.

"You make an excellent speech, Claremont," he said. He spread his hooves, where he still had a cell phone conspicuous in his left hoof. Of course he'd been their caller. "But there's no walking away from what you did."

_"Out,"_ Nick said. He stepped up on the other side of the stage and waved to those nearest in the audience. "Everyone get off the roof right now. Straight out the doors. Go!"

Judy joined him on that side. Lots of the city types were starting to catch on, and together they started herding mammals toward the doors. She threw a glance back at the staredown. Park seemed to be ignoring the evacuation, which Judy knew was about to get frantic. Claremont was a pillar of boiling anger, but she hadn't moved. The others were still making their slow advance across the balcony. Ten seconds, maybe.

"Get on your knees, Park. Put the phone on the ground."

But Park stared right past Marki, and all the mammals still between him and the stage. Even with police barking commands at them, they were slow to understand just how much trouble they might be in.

"Shay, his phone," Nick murmured, over the radio. "He's not getting rid of it. Are we sure there's nothing in Tundratown?"

"I see it," she said. "I can jam him, but I don't know about the wall. The reports are all negative."

"Do it."

"You said it yourself," Park said. "Everything that's happened is on you. _You,_ who chewed mammals up and rolled over everyone else to get your way. You never compromised, you never backed down." He shook his antlers. "But now that everything you've built is blowing up in your face, it _suits you?_ "

"To stop what you started," Claremont hissed. "I've made my decision."

"Just like you made them for me, and for the rest of us." He was holding his ground as the others carefully advanced - which meant either he was ready for a fight, or he had nowhere else to go. Now he raised his voice, to make sure she heard over the rest of it. "I had to live with those choices you made. All of these mammals did. You'll have to face them, too. One way or the other."

"I meant what I said, Park. Every word of it."

He was just nodding to himself, seemingly ignoring the police, and the audience streaming by as they tried to get clear. Then he reached into his coat with his free hoof and drew a stubby pistol, so casually that most of the mammals around him probably missed it.

"Come and prove it."

Marki and Verdegrand froze, half a dozen strides too far away.

Claremont didn't. Judy could see, even from here, how the fury and loss and predatory frustration had suddenly sharpened to a point. She was going to move, to try to stop something she wouldn't be able to.

"Nick-" Judy twisted around to sprint for the dais after all. Yes, they had to get everyone out, but the crowd was almost to the doors, and something new was pulling at her. She had to get to Claremont before the shock wore off, before she could do something she would regret for all of them.

Nick saw it, too. He stepped back from the crowd and came for her, so they could do it together. It would probably take both of them to stop Claremont anyway, if it came to that.

Now someone called out the alarm. The shouts and screaming started. The crush at the doors intensified.

And Judy leapt straight onto the lectern to intercept Claremont as she came around it.

_"Stop!"_

Claremont was iron muscle under her suit. She could have shoved past her, and Nick. She was big enough. They'd gotten lucky, crashing into her high and low, just long enough to jolt her into looking at Judy, with her paws on her lapels.

Nick had put his shoulder into it. _"It's what he wants, Claremont!"_

"Don't let him decide this now." Judy leaned forward, and ignored the icy knowledge that she had put a gun at her back again. Park was desperate. He could start shooting at any time. But if she didn't get through to Claremont, he would. "If you go out there, all they will see is that he was right about you."

Judy could see it playing out, because not even the cold hatred that had taken Claremont could completely bury the obligations she still held so close. She knew what was at stake here, too. She could see the mammals panicking all around them, the ones who depended on her, the ones whose trust in her Park had now hung from a thread.

She would become what she despised, and worse. And Judy and Nick would have to do to her just what she had done to Park, all those years ago. It would leave her with nothing. Her life's work would be taken from her - for the sake of safety and progress, yes - but it would probably break her.

And Claremont had to decide which course to let go of herself. All Judy could do was watch, and wait.

It was long seconds until her hackles settled, and her teeth disappeared. She raised her chin and looked from Judy to the standoff, to where Marki was still yelling at Park to drop the gun.

And he was far too calm, seeing that Claremont had chosen to stand by her word. He reached forward, quick as any predator, and yanked a tiny mammal right off her hooves where she had crouched in paralyzed fear. It was the duiker Judy had seen hanging on Claremont's every word before. Now she screamed in protest, and in terror when he pulled her close, with one arm snaked around her throat.

Judy's stomach plummeted, as her training froze her where she was. Claremont rumbled something wordless and fierce - but now she couldn't move, either.

Marki didn't miss a beat. She stopped calling on Park to cooperate and was now coaching his hostage to stay calm. It faded to an urgent, measured buzz in Judy's ears.

Park didn't intend to walk away from this any more. She knew it. It must have been why he was here, in the end: If he couldn't turn the city against Claremont, he was going to extract as much of a price as he could.

"Not me." Park told his incoherent hostage. He was dragging her backward, getting distance they couldn't dare close. "It's no use begging me for anything." Now he pulled her chin around, to force her to lock eyes with Claremont. "It's up to her. You've got a nice badge from her company already. You trust her, right?"

It might have been a nod.

"She trusts you," he ground out, so Claremont would hear. "So tell her. Tell her, and all these mammals, whether you meant what you said. Yes, or no."

It was impossible. No matter how Claremont answered, Park could pull the trigger, and she would be left either a hypocrite, or with the poisonous knowledge that her efforts had contributed to yet another death.

"Park."

"Yes, or no," he snapped. " _Tell her._ She needs to know who you really are. She needs to know who to blame for what's about to happen."

Judy couldn't hear the climate pump anymore, or the panic at the doors. The fear beat in her throat, but what she noticed more in that silent, stretched moment was the regret and the guilt that had finally caught up to weigh on her.

They hadn't prevented this, and they would have to face the cost the same way Claremont did. So in the end, did it matter? All their high talk of restraint and caution couldn't stop someone with nothing to lose. It couldn't square with more deaths.

Claremont wasn't watching Park's wild eyes. She was locked on the girl's face, with her paws held out, as if showing that she wasn't a threat now would somehow help.

Park waved with his gun hoof.

_"Tell her!"_

The _whoosh_ of the chiller was the only sound. Vapor seemed to boil around the deserted tables and chairs.

Park jerked his antlers at the sudden motion and turned to look.

The duiker bucked in his arms, up and back, and jabbed her stubby horns against his jaw. Whether Park's reaction was surprise or pain, it loosened his grip enough for her to twist free and bolt-

And for a moment, his gun wasn't pointed at anything.

Verdegrand exploded forward. Marki was right alongside, sidearm out in one smooth motion.

But she didn't have a clear angle. There were too many panicked mammals diving in the way. Park had a hoof clamped against his throat where he was bleeding. And he still had time to wing his former hostage in the back, and another random mammal, before he shifted aim to the elk charging him. Judy heard the first bullet crack where it met armor, but the second hit Verdegrand in the leg. He went to his knees.

Now Marki did take the shot - two rounds at thirty feet, in a brief gap over heads and between taller mammals, a desperate, awful risk - and hit Park high on his shoulder. He twisted and fell back toward the railings. His gun skidded away.

Verdegrand was still coming. He hadn't drawn his own revolver, and he was slower now, but he'd made it back to his feet, and he might still make it to Park.

Park seemed to know it. He skipped backward, away from the razor slice of antlers, and turned to run for the edge of the roof, and Judy knew with a sickening certainty that now he intended to win the race the only way he still could. Even with nothing left to lose he could still deny Claremont her closure and leave her holding these fresh pieces.

And they were all too far away to do anything but watch. Park vaulted the railing into space-

And slammed into a grey-brown blur speeding down the edge guards on all fours, trailing a dark line.

\---

Patch had anchored himself with a set of expert leads that came up from underneath the balcony, right above the cell antennas.

The top quick-draw around the railing was still making unsettling creaking noises when Judy got to it. Marki had already braced a foot on the beam and was hauling on the ropes.

Judy was too small to help here; instead she held on to Nick and the railing to peer over the dizzying drop.

Patch had gotten a cuff around Park's wrist, to the second lead rope fed through his harness. They were swinging and spinning in the open underneath the balcony, and Park had horrible cuts where the cuff met his arm, but he was still alive. They were inching back toward solid ground - Park probably weighed more than Marki did.

But when Claremont arrived and took up the rope behind Marki to help, they seemed to levitate. In no time, Patch was reaching for Judy's outstretched paws to climb up the railing and pull his tie-in free. He sat heavily, with a swirl of his tail, as Marki hauled the groaning reindeer over the edge and immediately re-cuffed him to this side of the railing.

Nick braced one paw on the railing and dropped his head. "Shay, Park's in custody. That's it."

He said it, and Judy still didn't believe it. She wouldn't for a while, probably. It barely seemed to matter, with the chaos around them. She knew she was supposed to help, to step up as a leader - but all she could do right now was sink to weak knees beside her friend.

"Reckless," she said.

Patch just breathed out. "We're lucky the cuffs held." He turned so he wouldn't have to see Marki starting first aid, and inspected his harness instead. The main belay loop was torn straight through from the force of the fall. "And this." His ears flattened as Judy reached for her radio. "Don't tell Shay?"

That internal battle Judy had waged just moments ago played out again, in miniature. "Please tell me she knew you were up here."

"As soon as that first call came in, she sent me out." He plucked at the ruined harness. "But I should break this part gently."

Judy sighed. "How close was it?"

"I don't want to know."

Judy still couldn't completely understand that motivation. Maybe it came with being even smaller than she was, or with being utterly at home over fatal drops. Maybe he'd pulled it from the lessons she'd tried to teach him after all.

She put her paw down, one more time, and let Patch call it.

"Shay, we need medics up here." Patch steeled himself and looked at Park's antlers. "Four with gunshot wounds."

"They're coming," she said. "Patch, are you hurt?"

He had his eyes closed, where he was resting his head against the glassy guardrail. "I don't think so."

The tunnel vision was fading, leaving the strange twilight behind where Judy couldn't be sure how much time the adrenaline had stolen. She could see that Claremont had backed way off, to see to Verdegrand. There were CEG security staff wrangling the crowd at the doors so they could get back onto the balcony, and a cluster of mammals around the girl on the ground. Another short distance away, someone from the police board was performing CPR.

But Park was alive, thanks to Patch's efforts, and now he would answer for all of this.

Was it enough? Was it worth it?

It had to be. Judy should have been the first mammal to recognize that responsibility - even when it pushed right up against the limits of common sense and self-preservation. Patch was doing exactly what they needed him to, because none of them could have done it themselves.

She couldn't ever hold that against him.

\---

Twenty minutes on, and Claremont was still watching where the medics had taken the stretchers away. Her paws were stained crimson, where she'd been putting pressure on Verdegrand's injury. One of the EMTs had given her a package of chemical scrub. She turned as they came up.

"Three injured."

"And Park," Judy said.

There was still something raw and dangerous right underneath the surface. Judy could see it warring for control, as Claremont stared at the railing where Park had reappeared. It was the same total focus she ran her company with, the same one she'd almost ridden to disaster.

"The further I stay from it, the better for all of us." It cost her some effort to turn away. "But if you can update me, I would appreciate that."

Judy looked to Nick and saw his faint agreement. "We'll deliver news in person, if Chief Bogo lets us."

"CEG will assist as much as the city allows us to, even after all this," Claremont said. She started a slow walk toward the now-clear doors, where they were propped open. There were more police here now, buzzing all over the atrium so they could prepare their scene. "But the board will coordinate it."

She never had finished her speech, Judy realized. It would all probably be in motion already, but there was something unfair about how Claremont had missed yet another chance to start putting this right. Instead she was washing her security chief's blood off her paws under the tap at a hotel bar. Judy smelled harsh disinfectant, like she was back in the hospital.

"Was Officer LeCarroll hurt?"

"Not a scratch on him," Nick said. "He's getting better at that."

"Thank you for helping get him back on the roof," Judy said.

"I owe him and Officer Shayler a lot more than that," she said. "And Verdegrand does, and the whole company. After Rainforest, and now this - make sure they both know we're in their debt."

That feeling reared again, the paralysis of having to watch it all play out. "I'm sorry," Judy said. "About Verdegrand, and the girl-"

"They tell me Park's shooting missed anything major," she said, and held up a cleaned paw. "We already have mammals in touch with the hospital. I'll go do what I can to see that they're both taken care of before I go back to work."

"ZPD is going to need to talk to you before that, too, Ma'am," Judy said. "You should expect an escort. It might even be us."

"Then I won't leave the hospital until someone gets in touch." She reached out to take Judy's paw. "Thank you both, Officers."

Her eyes held Judy's a little longer, and this time Judy did see the respect she felt herself - and the faintest gratitude, despite everything. Verdegrand might have been right, when he'd said she'd needed someone to talk her down.

They watched her go. Someone from her board appeared out of the crowd as if by magic.

"Straight back into it, huh?" Nick asked.

"What, you think we need to keep an eye on her?" Judy kept her eyes on where she'd disappeared into one of the stairwells. "It's how she deals with stress."

"You're probably right." Nick caught Patch's eye where he was coming through the doors and pointed for the elevator bank. _Go._ He pulled on her, toward the stairs and the shadowy gallery at the top. "Speaking of."

"Nick."

"We'll get Shay to scrub the footage, if we have to." He wasn't going to take no for an answer. Not that she really wanted him to.

It was so dark compared to the afternoon sun outside that Judy could barely see. But she didn't need her eyes just then. It was enough to feel Nick's claws in her, below her kevlar, and his muzzle on the edge of her ear. The way he was holding onto her, so tightly that he'd picked her up, she was sure he didn't quite believe it yet, either.

So she held on, too, and let him breathe.

"I know it's a little early," he murmured against her. "I know what happened last time."

It was done. Not cleanly. Never cleanly. Ending wasn't quite the same as success, and Judy knew he felt that as keenly as she did. The frustration and guilt at what Park had still managed to do would pull at them both for a long time. As soon as they walked out of here, that new stress would take over.

They wouldn't know the scope of the fallout until the headlines started, and even then the oversight board was likely to keep them out of the worst of it. Bogo would reassign them. Patch and Shay would go back to work at home. They would all have to readjust.

"This one's going to take a while," she said.

"We're used to that now." He leaned them against a display case where a model of the hotel stood in miniature.

Patch wasn't, Judy wanted to say. Or Shay. But she didn't know if there was anything she could do to help their friends ride that uncomfortable rush of everything spooling out, of relaxing their guard for the first time in weeks. It was personal. They might not sort it out the way she and Nick did, with these little stolen moments in the pocket museum. It couldn't be taught.

Maybe that was for the best, though. They'd done enough _teaching_ recently.

"Yeah," she said. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"I can't promise I'm not going to have dreams about that grab going poorly now," Nick said.

"Are you scared of heights?"

"It's the falling from them," Nick said. He buried his nose along her throat.

"What about you?"

"You already said it won't be fast," he said, and stayed where he was. "We'll be dealing with Park for months. And the headlines will keep coming, and the project at the wall will have to finish. I could probably see our stack of paperwork from here."

"At least we can go back on beat." She didn't really feel the levity. It was idle. Automatic, so they wouldn't have to think about what had just happened.

"Yeah." Nick's ears lifted anyway. "And I can leave the shot-calling to Marki."

"You know we both decided just now that we can trust Patch with just about anything," she said.

"I'd still rather ease into it," Nick said. "Delegating parking duty or something." He squeezed her tight one last time. "So yes. I'm good."

How long it would hold, they couldn't say. But there was no reason to sit and anticipate what might happen - if and when it did, they would deal with it. Soon, they would be able to rest.

They had just one more really long night to go.


	25. Chapter 25

They were headed for one of Rainforest's innumerable outdoor cafes, close enough to the downtown edge of the biome that there wasn't steam or rain to foul up sitting outside. From here, Judy could see the cars and the trains of the Shady Place thoroughfare, and the rest of the busy valley twisting deeper into the jungle.

Patch admitted he still didn't know exactly where he was going - Shay had found this place first. But he hadn't contacted her yet, either. He was walking alongside Judy on the pedestrian ramp up to the shops and restaurants, and for the first time in a long time they didn't have much reason to hurry.

"It's still weird getting off work at a normal time again," he said.

"How's your paperwork?" Judy asked.

"If I jump, I can see over the pile of binders."

Judy was horrified, in part from long experience. "Do they not give you digital copies?"

"Not all of it is yet." Patch grinned at her expression. "Chief Paratas said he'd remind accounting to order more my size. In the meantime Shay takes care of them, so it's not a huge deal."

"As long as you're getting through it," Judy said. She really ought to drop the work. Like Patch had said, they were through with it for the day. The could enjoy that now, for the first time in weeks. "She's on her way, too, right?"

"She was looking for the coffee before she joined us," he said. "I pointed Nick toward her when you guys came off the train, so at least they won't get lost."

The rooftop veranda was mixed-scale industrial chic, with garage-style doors that got pulled up and out of the way when the weather was fair. They found a table at the edge and watched the lunch rush of Rainforest's walkways spool around them for a minute. The looks coming their way from the few mammals up here were mostly neutral, which was technically an improvement.

It would take a while before that wariness disappeared completely. The media was still in a lather over Claremont's unorthodox strategies. Everyone was still recovering from the shootout at the Palm, some of them - like the duiker intern - literally. Judy had seen the reports.

In the meantime, Setter and the District Attorney's office had taken over the heaviest of the lifting. All the suspects they'd corralled were either cracking, or were likely to crack at trial when the city's lawyers worked on them. Griffith, the banker, had heard just enough of Park's plans from the start to get skittish. Zocchi, the bear that had been with Schafer at Pinnacle, was more than happy to talk about the payments he'd taken when the DA dangled a plea bargain in front of his muzzle. That coyote who had taken a shot at Nick at the burners was going away for assault and then some.

And the rest of the unwitting and less-witting mammals Park had touched were cooperating. It was impossible to say yet if the staff he'd bribed at the Palm had known what they were aiding, or what he would do. There was no forewarning and nothing to dig into if the relationship had only lasted a couple of days.

They took that poorly. For all their tracking and surveillance, someone determined and resourceful enough could just not exist. Shay wasn't pulling any punches in her reporting. A couple weeks ago, Judy would have worried she was being too hard on herself. Now?

There was a balance, between the necessary safety of everyone in the city and the immediate threats that someone like Park posed. Judy could only hope that she and all the others had learned, and would change what they needed to, so the next time a mammal with a ton of resources and nothing to lose went to work they would be ready for it.

Park would almost certainly die in prison, for what uncomfortable knowledge that was worth. He was looking at dozens of felony counts for everything from incitement to trespassing and arson to attempted and realized second-degree murder. Judy didn't have the full list to mind, even after a week of paperwork, and past a certain point the life sentences stacked and it got abstract anyway.

Now she had to pull her thoughts to a stop again. She was sure the antelope three tables over was frowning at the stress on her face, so instead she watched Patch watch the boats go by, all the way down on the river bend below them.

The city tended to sort those problems out on its own, in enough time. Finding their place in it was going to be hard, too. But they'd figure it out, and there was no use worrying about it in the meantime.

Now, they could go find a late lunch in Rainforest instead of speeding through on their way to put out fires. It was progress.

Nick arrived, right behind Shay, who seemed exasperated that Patch had waited to eat until they all arrived.

"How are the finances?" Shay asked, when they'd sent off their order. Judy had gone with the mushroom platter.

Nick looked haunted. He caught Judy's eye, where she was out of her seat to peer over the edge of the railing at the activity below them.

"It's going," Judy said, and shook her head at his reaction. "A couple more days, maybe."

Patch looked like he couldn't decide whether to be guilty or amused at Nick's antics. "Sorry we brought it up again."

"Not your fault." Judy waved it away, and tried to shake the thoughts she'd already sorted through. Nick probably knew. "Quit it, you."

"Okay, okay."

"This I can safely tell you," Judy told their friends. "It takes time to sort through tough cases, and probably more than you expect."

"Speaking of advice." Patch went glum, standing there at the edge of the table. "Back in the hospital- you didn't deserve that. I wasn't supposed to be angry at anyone else."

"I can't teach everything," Judy said. "And I'm sorry you had to teach me that."

"But you were right," Patch said. "I see things that I know I can do, and I want to fill my place." Shay, on his other side, nudged him with her hoof. He returned her smile. "I didn't want to see that it was about more than just my safety. I'm sorry I put you through that."

Judy was going to remember the lessons he'd taught her, too: There was a difference between getting in over his head at Rainforest, and pulling off a grab that only he could, in the right place at the right time. There was no rule or regulation for which was which, not until it was happening.

And Judy never wanted to smother that familiar drive, that sense of duty that was bigger than he was. She'd kindled it in the first place - and overfed it sometimes, yes. But she decided that as he learned its limits, she could be proud that she'd helped it along.

It was humbling, and hard to put into words.

"We all learned something, didn't we?" she said instead.

Nick played with his straw. "How did you get Marki to go for it?"

"She told him to help me however he could." Shay looked guilty and worried all at once. "It was still more than I expected him to go and do."

"She saw me packing my harness before we left and didn't say anything," Patch said. He grabbed Shay's hoof this time. "She didn't ask about my shoulder, or get Shay's opinion. She just watched, like she was making sure I was really ready to go through with it. When she brought us the stingray, we kind of knew."

Judy shook her head. "She cuts all of us so much slack."

Or more likely, Marki trusted that Patch would be up to it, even while he was still healing. The gamble had paid off.

"One of these days we're going to get her in trouble," Nick agreed. "Are you going to turn that into a story like the traffic accident one?"

"Shay won't let me, probably."

"You're right, I won't." She rolled her eyes. "Once Chief Paratas reads the full report, he'll probably start talking about it all on his own."

\---

**Six weeks later.**

Tundratown felt strange, Judy thought, because it was normal.

There was no smoke on the air, no protest or crime scene to contain. Simply walking down the snowy boulevards was almost luxurious - if still a little cold. Judy stamped her paws as they drew up on the cranes and fencing of new construction. The mammals at the gate appeared to recognize them specifically, and waved them through with familiar smiles.

"She told us she'd be here," Nick said. "Do you think we need hard hats?"

"Maybe."

The snow muffled sounds of construction, and the deep whoosh of the climate wall was in the background, as always. For once they had trouble spotting Claremont among the dozens of uniformed CEG mammals. There was still no Verdegrand to flag them down.

"Good morning, Officers." She was behind them, walking with a couple of reindeer in company garb. She had an enormous spool of thin copper tubing over one shoulder.

Judy craned up at it and smiled. "Hello, Ma'am."

"You want us to get this the rest of the way, Ma'am?"

"Thanks, Robbins." She passed off the coil, which was apparently heavier than it looked. Both of the reindeer had to hoist it between them. "I'll catch up in a minute."

Claremont shook their paws and led them around the perimeter of the site to show them the progress. In no time at all, ranks of long, glassy apartment buildings had gone up through most of it, four stories high, broken up with windows and balconies at all different scales. Each roof held rows of orderly coils, sheltered from the wind under their own louvers.

Between each building was an arc of fir trees and snow fencing to knock the surface wind all the way down. It reminded Judy of the ski resort at the base of the mountains to the north.

"Did you make all these changes after the summit?"

"This is the board's doing." Claremont waved it away. "Right now I'm just a pair of able paws. And the more I think about it, the more I realize it might need to stay that way."

"Really?" Judy had seen the petitions. Maybe she should have put stock in them after all.

"We'll see." Claremont dipped her muzzle. "But it does feel good. I've missed this work, and it's good for the city."

"Verdegrand on his feet yet?" Nick asked.

"Almost," Claremont said. "He's restless. He wants to come back to work, but crutches don't agree with Tundratown snow."

Judy watched Nick's smirk. "We know how that goes."

"Things will be different when he does," Claremont said. "We're turning on the last of the new evaporators today." She pointed to the broad stripes of trees, which Judy could now tell weren't just for decoration. "The ones on the ground will take more maintenance, since they're not in the open, but the board isn't anticipating any problems staffing up."

Judy counted hundreds of apartments, and those were just in the buildings she could see. "How many mammals will live here?"

"Anyone who was displaced, and more," Claremont said. "Combining the land roles lets us make the whole thing mixed income, and the city has agreed to help us expand if it gets popular. We've ironed out the prefab process to a very attractive spec. Developers had been calling us."

She took them down the rise, closer to the buildings, so she could show them in detail how one of her engineers had modified CEG's air fin solution to knock down even more of the wind this close to the wall.

The change was striking. Given the chance, Claremont could drop back into being part of a team - and each time Judy saw it happen, it looked to get easier for her. Gone was the brooding executive who disregarded the objections of everyday mammals as inefficiencies. Understanding had tempered impatience. The means had become as important as the end again.

She even smiled more easily, Judy saw, as they watched a couple of staffers lead a family of polar bears up to explore one of the apartments. She double-took at the cubs romping in the snowdrift out front. It looked like the same family they'd seen at the wall, all those weeks ago.

That was enough to make her reluctant to dent the mood with the news they'd come down here to deliver.

"The DA has finalized the charges against Park, now that depositions are done," Judy said as they walked past the quiet swish of disguised evaporators. "Trial will start in two weeks."

"I'll be there. Verdegrand, too. Some of my board is still worried I haven't dropped it." Sure enough, some of the old focus leaked into Claremont's expression. "They'll appreciate a degree of closure as much as I do."

Judy thought of the afternoons she spent now, when she had to carefully disengage her mind from the mountain of casework and think about something else. Claremont would have it worse. A lot of the things Park had kicked off weren't going to stop just because they'd stopped him. The city was watching CEG - and its CEO in particular - more closely than ever. She would still have to prove that trust wasn't misplaced.

"We wanted to be the ones to tell you." Judy said. She let her ears drop briefly, so they would fit under the low bough of the nearst fir tree. "Sorry we brought it down here."

"I don't think there's a better place to discuss it in the whole city," Claremont said. "This might not have been here today if ZPD hadn't gotten involved in what Park was doing."

Nick's muzzle twitched. "Because he broke it first?"

"In a manner of speaking." Claremont led them down the path, toward the billowing rise of the wall ahead of them. Her faint smile was back. "All of this land used to be Ranger Energy property."


	26. epilogue

The contest over who was more sure-footed was largely a tie, Nick decided. They'd been hiking for an hour, taking turns leading, and neither of them had slowed down.

He led the way to the overlook. From the top of the bluff, they could see deep blue evening skies, all the way into Sahara square, until the heat from the dunes made the climate wall fuzzy in the distance. The open space was all rolling sandstone and scraggly green bushes, until the city took over again to the west.

Judy tapped him with the water bottle. He took it and tipped it back to drink.

"That was a good half hour of climbing," she said. "That's our cardio taken care of for the weekend."

"More than that." He grinned down at her. "You know descending is harder, right?"

She shrugged. "We're not on deadline. I'm not worried about setting any records here."

Their first free weekend since this whole thing had started. Nick had forgotten how nice it was to let go of everything - or maybe, to have everything let him go. He would have slept in this morning, had Judy not considered staying in bed past 7 unacceptable.

Now she was shading her eyes against the evening's low sun with her paw. "You can see all the way to the bay from here."

"And the spire." Nick pointed to the scarp in the foreground. "Patch says it's good climbing."

She turned into the breeze to look. It was quiet, but for the wind in his ears and their steady breathing.

"We could invite them next time, if you want," she said. "He and Shay are probably as restless as we are."

Nick smiled. He would have to call them up - and for once it wouldn't be about arrest records or security cameras. Judy was right: It would be nice to get out again. Maybe they could pack a picnic, do something normal. The dinner they'd shared in the garden seemed so long ago now. Less complicated. Now whenever they looked at each other there was history, and lessons and knowledge.

"I can't help but feel like their neuroses are our fault now."

Judy snorted a laugh. "We gave them a taste for reckless adventure, sure, but they did the rest themselves." She came up in front of him, so she could lean against his chest.

That was true enough. They'd all made mistakes. In guiding their friends through the fraught case, Judy had overreached. Nick had under-reacted. Those weren't things they wanted to teach. But in the end, if it hadn't been for Patch and Shay, Park wouldn't have been cooling his heels in prison.

He swore Judy knew when he was thinking hard. It was in the way her nose twitched when she looked up at him.

"Next time will be better. Shay has all sorts of ideas for tracking mammals faster now. And Patch won't ever get in over his head again."

Nick tightened his arms. "My guess is Bogo hopes there never is a next time."

"He ended your probation." Judy shrugged. "That counts for something."

It counted for a lot, actually. Police officer, seasoned veteran and now mentor. Nick shook his head. That was as intimidating as it was rewarding - but there was no avoiding the responsibility now.

He had a good partner in not-crime to help with that, at least. She was keeping still beside him, under his indulgent clawtips.

And when he looked down for her reassuring smile, it was like she'd seen a ghost. He followed her sudden attention, down the valley to the west.

It took him a minute. The lighting was different, and the vibrant colors of real life made the sandstone even brighter. And there were no flowers in the corner.

But the rest of it...

"That's-" Judy tilted her head. "That's our puzzle, isn't it?"

It was. Nick sighed against her. "We weren't supposed to go find it until we were done."

She twisted around. "You mean you didn't plan this?"

"No!" he laughed, and sat on the rock. It was still warm from the day's sunlight, so he pulled her down next to him. "Not this time. I didn't know it was going to be this easy to spot."

"I don't see the flowers," Judy said. "So maybe it doesn't count."

"A technicality," Nick said. "I'll allow it, I guess."

"You know this means we do have to finish it, though," Judy said. "Tonight. No matter how long it takes."

"You're going to fall asleep in my lap again."

He felt her warm sigh against the fur of his throat. "Probably."

That didn't matter now, though. For the first time in weeks, they had that luxury. They didn't have to pause their work, or fight to keep it separate, or worry that something quiet and shared would distract them when they could least afford it.

Now they had time to sort themselves out, like pieces of an even more important puzzle. Now he could pull her to her feet, and lead the way back down the trail toward dinner on their rooftop. Their friends, the city, the responsibilities and obligations they had to keep it all running -

It would all be waiting for them in the morning.

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](https://falke-scribblings.tumblr.com/)
> 
> [chronology](https://falke-scribblings.tumblr.com/chronology)


End file.
